Believing Prayer
Believing prayer is essential for receiving answers from God, and it requires trusting in His promises and not letting anxiety or unbelief creep in.
Charles E. Cowman emphasizes the importance of unwavering faith in prayer, urging believers to pray until they truly believe in God's promise and thank Him for the answer even before it manifests. He warns against prayers that lead to doubt and anxiety, stressing the need to focus on God's promises rather than the difficulties. Cowman highlights that true faith is taking God at His Word, and that faith is tested and strengthened in the midst of trials and storms.
Text
"Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way" (John 4:50).
"When ye pray, believe" (Mark 11:24).
When there is a matter that requires definite prayer, pray till you believe God, until with unfeigned lips you can thank Him for the answer. If the answer still tarries outwardly, do not pray for it in such a way that it is evident that you are not definitely believing for it. Such a prayer in place of being a help will be a hindrance; and when you are finished praying, you will find that your faith has weakened or has entirely gone. The urgency that you felt to offer this kind of prayer is clearly from self and Satan. It may not be wrong to mention the matter in question to the Lord again, if He is keeping you waiting, but be sure you do so in such a way that it implies faith. Do not pray yourself out of faith. You may tell Him that you are waiting and that you are still believing Him and therefore praise Him for the answer. There is nothing that so fully clinches faith as to be so sure of the answer that you can thank God for it. Prayers that pray us out of faith deny both God's promise in His Word and also His whisper "Yes," that He gave us in our hearts. Such prayers are but the expression of the unrest of one's heart, and unrest implies unbelief in reference to the answer to prayer. "For we which have believed do enter into rest" (Heb. 4:3). This prayer that prays ourselves out of faith frequently arises from centering our thoughts on the difficulty rather than on God's promise. Abraham "considered not his own body," "he staggered not at the promise of God" (Rom. 4:19, 20). May we watch and pray that we enter not into temptation of praying ourselves out of faith. --C. H. P.
Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason, but a taking God at His Word. --Evans
The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. --George Mueller
You will never learn faith in comfortable surroundings. God gives us the promises in a quiet hour; God seals our covenants with great and gracious words, then He steps back and waits to see how much we believe; then He lets the tempter come, and the test seems to contradict all that He has spoken. It is then that faith wins its crown. That is the time to look up through the storm, and among the trembling, frightened seamen cry, "I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me."
"Believe and trust; through stars and suns,
Through life and death, through soul and sense,
His wise, paternal purpose runs;
The darkness of His Providence
Is starlit with Divine intents."
Sermon Outline
- I. The Importance of Believing Prayer
- A. Jesus' words in John 4:50
- B. The principle of believing prayer in Mark 11:24
- II. The Danger of Praying Without Faith
- A. Praying until you believe God
- B. The urgency of self and Satan
- III. The Role of Faith in Prayer
- A. Faith is not a sense, sight, or reason
- B. Faith is a taking God at His Word
- IV. The Test of Faith
- A. God's promises in quiet hours
- B. The tempter's test of faith
- V. The Victory of Faith
- A. Looking up through the storm
- B. Crying out, 'I believe God'
Key Quotes
“Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason, but a taking God at His Word.” — Charles E. Cowman
“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.” — Charles E. Cowman
“You will never learn faith in comfortable surroundings.” — Charles E. Cowman
Application Points
- Pray until you believe God, and then thank Him for the answer.
- Center your thoughts on God's promise rather than the difficulty.
- Look up through the storm and cry out, 'I believe God' when faced with temptation.