Praying With A Purpose!
Prayer is a way we are taught to speak to God. However, too many times, we ONLY use prayer as way to tell God our problems especially when it comes to our health or the health of our loved ones. In a state of worry and panic and fear, we cry and beg God to intervene. In complete desperation, as our anxieties mount, we hope He hears us and helps us overcome whatever might be going on in our bodies or in someone else’s.
Unfortunately, the truth is that, when we pray in this way, we do not have faith “the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not yet seen” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV, Bible App); we actually hardly believe He will do what we are asking Him to do. We do not follow the message in the Bible “do not worry about your life” (Matthew 6:25 NIV) or “do not worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:34 NIV).
Furthermore, we forget that He already knows what we are going through. He knows everything about us from our successes to our struggles. He created us and established our path before we were born; “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139: 16 NIV).
Therefore, the question becomes, then, how are we supposed to pray? If God is all knowing and He loves us, why do we turn to Him in this manner so frequently and call it prayer? Could it be that there is a better formula for praying that encompasses our faith and leads us to the outcomes we desire? To find these answers we have to look no further than the Bible.
One of the best directions for prayer comes from Phillipians 4:6 NIV, “Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” This verse tells us so much about the formula for praying.
First, it speaks about the posture of our heart. “Do not be anxious.” This is a command. But more than a command, it is a definition, the definition of faith. For when you have faith and know with all your heart that your loving Father is taking care of all things for your good (Roman’s 8: 28 NIV), then why, or really, HOW could you be anxious? Your confidence should be so high in the knowing that you believe it has already been given to you. Hasn’t He already brought you this far?
Which brings us to the next point of the verse, “with thanksgiving.” How do we pray with thanksgiving? In our world, we generally give thanks AFTER we receive something, not before. However, is that what faith says? When you are so steadfast in your belief of God and His endless promises for you, then you know it is as good as done. That is faith. In fact, isn’t that what we say at the end of every prayer “Amen,” aka, “It is so”? We proclaim at the end of every prayer“IT IS SO,” meaning, “It is done!” Often times for many of us, we say it repetitively and mindlessly that we don’t even know what we are saying, let alone THE POWER IN IT! However, the way it is suppose to work is we proclaim with such emphasis and, therefore, believe that what we are praying for IS DONE! Then, just as a gift that has been granted, we say “Thank you,” again, even though we have not SEEN it yet.
In the Bible, Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11: 24 NIV). This is the meaning behind giving thanks in prayer. Even though they are yet to be seen, our requests are granted! So, we wait patiently on God’s perfect time but WE GIVE THANKS NOW!
The last part to the above verse (Phillipians 4: 6 NIV) pertains to the petition. By definition, a petition is “a formally drawn request often bearing the names of those making the request, addressed to a person…in authority or power, soliciting some favor, right, mercy, or other benefit” (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/petition). A petition describes a pretty detailed message. And this is how our prayers should be. Whether we imagine what we are desiring in our mind secretly giving it to God or we are saying it out loud to God, we should be specific and descriptive in what we are asking. This is not because God needs to know the details because, it’s not; He already knows them. This is because when we can envision exactly what we want in our minds, it correlates with a heart posture of joy and excitement anticipating its coming. This is faith.
When it comes to our health, with the absence of anxiety or worry and the choosing of gratitude and joy, we start to move the physiological mechanisms in the body toward healing and health, as we have spoken about before. Again, this is faith and, with it, we align with the Will of our Father and receive the rewards from our walk in faith (Hebrews 11: 6 NIV). Jesus said, “if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21: 22 NIV). For even “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing is impossible for you” (Matthew 17: 20 NIV). God doesn’t ask for a lot! Just a little bit of faith!
This week I pray that you pray with a purpose! No matter how much your health is failing or your body hurts, BELIEVE! When you pray, even though you feel fear and worry, CHOOSE FAITH! Think or say aloud in detail what you want your body to do or how you want it to heal! As you imagine this victory thought in your head, you will be believing as if it was already received! And this is something to be BE THANKFUL for!!! Thank God for the blessing! Thank God for the healing! Thank God for the health! Thank God for the restoration! Thank God for granting the very detailed thought you believe He is able to do and will do! And see the healing begin! Again, we must trust in God’s perfect time and, know with every passing day, your miracle is not getting weaker but WILL BE THAT MUCH GREATER! With every passing moment, even though things may appear to be getting worse from a human perspective, “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in ALL circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 NIV). God is SOO MUCH BIGGER THAN US and sees and knows so much more. Every human trial and seeming “setback” is something He is using to grow you even more to teach you to lean on Him and prepare you for your greatest glory through Him. So NEVER STOP THANKING HIM! Do this every time you pray for your healing whether alone or with others and ask them to pray for you in the same way!
There is power in numbers “for where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18: 20 NIV). Make sure whoever prays with you and for you does the same. Take Jesus’ example, for “after He put them all out,” removing the unbelievers from the room, that is when He raised up Jairus’ daughter from the dead (Mark 5: 39-42 NIV). We need to surround ourselves with THE FAITH-FILLED BELIEVERS when we have a prayer request, just as Jesus did. Those who see by faith our same result! Together, let’s use what Jesus taught us and heal!
Thank you for reading my post! Please come back to reread any information or subscribe to get automatic updates on new information as we further expand upon many topics discussed today so we can be Medicated by Faith! With His guidance, I know you will seemlessly prevail through and CONQUER every health change! We can live in faith through God’s word and, in the process, renew our souls and heal our bodies, leading us to complete health and eternal joy!
Please make comments or ask any further questions that you may have below or via email at jill@medicatedbyfaith.com. I promise to respond personally or elaborate on your questions in further posts! God is blessing you!
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