Matthew 21:22 “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
In this section we want to discuss the importance of asking in faith. In the previous section we established the simple truth that we must learn to ask. Nevertheless if all that was required for us to receive from the Lord is to simply ask then we would all have it made, for everyone has the ability to ask. But simply asking is not enough to meet the requirements of the prayer of faith, for scripture plainly teaches us that when we ask we must ask believing, which is just another way of saying that we must ask in faith. In the passage of scripture quoted above Jesus taught us that whatever we ask in prayer “believing”, we will receive. To ask believing, simply means that one is fully convinced in their minds that God will answer their prayer. In all four gospels there is not one incident recorded of anyone coming to the Lord Jesus in faith and not receiving what they asked for. Jesus and the Father are the same yesterday, today and forever. And so anyone coming to the Lord Jesus in faith today will also receive what they ask for.
Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
In the passage of scripture quoted above our Lord explains more clearly what we are to believe when we pray, for He tells us to believe that we are at that moment receiving that which we are asking for. In other words it is at the time we pray that we are to believe that we receive, and as a result, that which we have asked for will be manifested. In other words we simply believe God’s word on the subject. To illustrate this point I refer you back to the Greek woman again. If you read the full account in scripture you will see that because of her persistence in asking, Jesus said to her that the demon had left her daughter. The moment Jesus said that, the woman knew she had the answer to her prayer. In other words she simply believed the Lord’s word, for at that moment she had no physical evidence of her daughter’s deliverance. Nevertheless when she got home she found that her daughter had indeed been delivered.
Matthew 9:27-30 “When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" (28) And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." (29) Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." (30) And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it."
The above account in scripture clearly shows us how the principle of asking in faith works. In this example these two blind men came to Jesus and asked Him to heal them. Jesus knew that only those who asked in faith could receive from Him, and so He asked them if they believed that He was able to answer their prayer. They replied that they did believe and Jesus then touched their eyes. Had they asked without believing, nothing would have happened when Jesus touched their eyes, because Jesus said that they would only receive according to their faith. Nevertheless their eyes were opened because they had asked in faith.
Michael E.B. Maher
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