“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
Faith is defined as trust and confidence in God. Ephesians 3:12 (NLT) says, “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into his presence.” When we come to God in prayer, our faith assures us that God will hear us and answer us. The prayers of Old Testament saints like Moses reflect this confidence in how they boldly spoke to God. Moses’ prayers are perfect examples of a faithful child confident that the Lord will hear and answer him. Moses was confident that God would move mountains if that were necessary.
“Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Why, LORD, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all’” (Ex. 5:22, 23). How could Moses have spoken to the Lord that way? Was such boldness out of place for a humble child of God? Moses was not being disrespectful to God. Rather, he came to God in faith that God would hear his prayer and help him. The Bible says that faith is the prime prerequisite for answered prayer. Coming to God’s throne as an unbeliever will have no reward. As Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
We follow Moses’ example and pray in boldness and confidence through faith that our prayers will be answered. We come to God knowing that he hears us and will respond to our direst needs. James 1:6,7 points out that, “When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” Put another way, 1 John 5:14,15 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”
How do we know God will answer our prayers? We know because we have faith and certainty in God’s promises. That is what makes prayer such a rewarding experience. Let us boldly approach the Lord in prayer believing that he will listen and answer.
Believe that your prayers are answered!
Those who do not believe do not pray.
This is a good functional definition of faith.
Faith prays; unbelief does not.
John A. Hardon