Use a Little Faith

Sometimes our prayers are not answered in the affirmative because we simply do not believe. Jesus could do no mighty works in His hometown because of unbelief (see Matthew 13:58). Scripture tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

Unbelief can hinder our prayers. When we think, Well, I don’t really believe this can happen, then we have essentially canceled our own prayer. To not believe what God’s Word says is true is to effectively call God a liar. James tells us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord" (James 1:5–7).

We must pray with faith. And if we lack faith, then we are to follow the example of the man who said to Jesus, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24). That prayer works. We don’t need to have super faith, but we do need to have some faith—and we need to apply that faith in prayer.

Faith sees what could be. Faith is not just intellectual assent; it is action. It is a consent of the will to the assent of the understanding. Faith sees what could be, and a believer sees invisible things.