28th August 2024

Unbelieving prayer
This is the 22nd in a series of studies on the subject of prayer

…The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
James 5:16 (NRSVA)

Do you believe things will happen when you pray? I have to admit that sometimes my prayers have been more wishful thinking than believing, trusting petitions to my Abba, with the confidence he will answer. If you are in that position, you are not alone. 

There’s a great story told in the book of Acts for people like you and me: ‘While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him.’ (Acts 12:5). And guess what? An angel of the Lord tapped Peter on the shoulder to wake him up. His chains fell off his wrists, the angel led him past the armed guards, the iron gate leading into the city opened for them of its own accord, and he was free. What an answer to believing prayer – or was it?

Peter immediately went to those Christians who were praying for his release and knocked at their door; a maid named Rhoda came to answer, “On recognizing Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, ‘You are out of your mind!’ But she insisted that it was so…” (v.14-15). Their reaction is quite telling. They didn’t immediately think, ‘wow, what a fantastic answer to our prayers’, rather they appeared to not really believe that God would answer their request. Though fervent, were their prayers little more than wishful thinking? Maybe. But God answered them anyway, and in a very powerful way.

I came across a humorous story where construction had begun on a bar, and the local Baptist church campaigned to stop the bar from opening with petitions and prayers. Just one week before it was due to open lightning struck the bar, and it burned to the ground. The bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building – the church denied any responsibility. Musing on the situation the judge said, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to decide this case. It appears that we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that does not.’ ¹

Do we believe in the power of prayer? Actually, it’s not how fervent we are, or how good we are at praying that’s important. It is knowing that we have a great and fervent God, our loving Abba, who just loves to answer our prayers. Let’s ask those prayers, believing that our ‘Father in heaven [will] give good things to those who ask him!’ (Matthew 7:11). Our prayers are powerful and effective because we have a powerful and effective God – so why not ask Him?

Prayer
Loving Father, thank you for answering our prayers even when we have only a faltering belief, for you are our prayer warrior. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Study by Barry Robinson

¹ Who Believes in Prayer? | Snopes.com

About the writer:
Barry Robinson is a minister in Grace Communion International and Regional Pastor for Southern England, the Midlands, and Wales

Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA

Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm

Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church

Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church