Faith or Hope?

Posted on November 12 2009

Faith or Hope?

“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.” James 5:15.

As my wife and I were going through our devotional on the names of God this week, this verse caught my attention as we discussed Jehovah Rafah – “God our healer.” However, the part where God makes the sick person well was not what caught my attention. What really struck me was “the prayer offered in FAITH.” When I read this, I didn’t even catch what the rest of the verse said. Immediately I asked myself, “Do I offer my prayers in faith?”

I don’t know how many times I have prayed in HOPE that God would “come through” for me. I don’t know how many times I have prayed and focused more on saying the right words, or saying Biblical phrases to just make it sound better. So many times my prayers can be such a routine-type prayer that I couldn’t tell you 5 minutes later what I even prayed for!

Even when I do wait on God and really allow Him to penetrate my heart as I pray, there are so many times when I pray hoping that my prayer will “work.” There’s still a doubt there. It is a hope, but not faith that God will provide what I need in HIS time. If I hope, I still worry and doubt, but with faith God answers prayer the way He knows will be best for us.

“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” James 5:17-18.

When you pray, don’t just pray hoping that God will change something in your favor, or because you know it’s the right thing to do, or to give the outward appearance that you are praying. Pray with faith that God will answer your prayer, and that He knows what is best for you. You may not know why He answers the way He does right away, but someday you will understand exactly why God answers the way He does. Pray knowing that God is all-sufficient, all-powerful, a healer, and a God that sees all and knows all. Don’t pray selfishly, but instead pray sacrificing your own desires and have faith that God will provide everything you need in His time. Do not take prayer lightly. Every moment is an opportunity to fellowship with your Saviour, the One who can give you the strength to accomplish all things.