By Craig Brian Larson
Based on Luke 18:1-8
How Powerful Is Faith?
Luke 17:5–6 (ESV) – “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’”
In this Scripture, we will explore three truths about the power of faith:
1. Faith can produce even miracles.
2. Faith can make even human commands authoritative over the natural realm.
3. Faith is effective even in tiny amounts.
1. Faith can produce even miracles
Uprooting a mulberry tree is difficult. AI says: “Mulberry tree roots are known for being extensive and robust, potentially impacting nearby structures. They are characterized by a deep taproot system and wide-spreading lateral roots. While not always deeply rooted, they can extend 2-3 times the width of the canopy, and even further in some cases. This extensive reach allows them to access water and nutrients but can also lead to issues with foundations, sidewalks, and other structures if not carefully managed.”
Is it reasonable to believe that the being who created all things from nothing—that is, God—can do miracles, or what we regard as a miracle?
Of course God can do miracles. Everything that exists is the miracle that God has already done. Was it a miracle to create earth out of nothing? Of course it took supernatural power. Was it a miracle to create the universe from nothing, literally nothing? Of course it was a miracle only God could do.
And God has the same power now to create from what does not exist now, or to change anything from its current state of existence. So for example, God can change a human body that is sick to instantly become a human body that is not sick. God can create from nothing; he can change something from what it is now; he can cause things to live or to die or to move in any way he desires.
So, for example Jesus can walk on water. Jesus can cause withered, emaciated limbs to grow out and become normal. Jesus can command leprosy to leave a human body, and it will instantly disappear. Jesus can command blind eyes to see, and they will open and see. It’s a small thing for God. It is only difficult for our human minds to conceive of.
Your reaction to this article will largely be determined by how much your belief system and worldview are controlled by naturalism, which is the dominant worldview of many people in the West. It is not the worldview of the Bible, and it often takes time for true believers to leave it behind and truly live with a worldview that is biblical and supernatural.
I believe the Bible is God’s Word. It is without error, that is, inerrant. It is not the reflection of superstitious, ignorant, uneducated people. It is rather the inspired Word of God telling us about reality as God has made it to be.
Luke 17:5–6 is a teaching that those who follow the worldview of naturalism would regard as utter superstition. Even some who do believe in God and the possibility of miracles might regard those who believe this verse as unhinged or extreme.
I believe this because Jesus taught it.
Naturalism defined
I asked Google for an AI definition of naturalism in philosophy and received this answer:
“In philosophy, naturalism is the viewpoint that everything in existence is part of the natural world and can be explained by natural causes and laws, rejecting supernatural or transcendental explanations. It emphasizes the methods and findings of science as the primary way to understand reality and human experience.
“Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
“Core Principles:
- “Rejection of the Supernatural: Naturalism denies the existence or influence of supernatural beings, forces, or realms.
- “Emphasis on Natural Laws: It posits that the universe operates according to natural laws discoverable through scientific inquiry.
- “Scientific Method as Primary Tool: Naturalism prioritizes the scientific method – observation, experimentation, and testing – as the best approach to understanding the world.
- “Materialism (in some forms): Some forms of naturalism, particularly metaphysical naturalism, assert that everything is ultimately material or physical in nature.
- “Continuity with Science: Naturalism seeks to integrate philosophy with the findings and methods of science, rather than treating them as separate domains.”
<< End of AI-generated definition of naturalism. >>
Naturalism believes that the only thing that exists is matter. Nothing supernatural exists. So, that would exclude believing in God, angels, demons, heaven, hell, and miracles that can occur outside of the natural laws, so to speak, of physics. Obviously that worldview does not agree with the Bible.
When you have been raised all your life with a worldview of naturalism, even if you do believe in God and in the Bible, you may have a hybrid worldview, in which you believe in a spiritual reality but also expect the created world to work as naturalism expects. In this view, God created everything as well as the laws of physics, and he has withdrawn himself from the world and does not intervene in it. That is deism.
However, biblical belief says all matter is created and upheld by God continuously. And that what we call the laws of science or the laws of physics are simply God’s normal way of running the universe.
But these laws can be controverted at any time God wants. For example, when Joshua commanded the sun to stand still. Or when Elisha the prophet made an axe head float. Or when the pagan general Naaman dipped himself seven times in the Jordan river and was healed. Or when Jesus did miracles such as walking on water, raising the dead, feeding 5,000 with a few loaves of bread, and opening blind eyes.
2. Faith can make even human commands authoritative over the natural realm
Luke 17:6 – “The Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’”
Certainly naturalism regards this teaching as superstition, but these words of Jesus strain the worldview of even the majority of Christians in America.
Webster’s dictionary defines superstition as “a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation.”
What naturalism would see as ignorance about the laws of physics, or practicing magic, or having a false conception of causation, Jesus teaches as spiritual, super-natural reality.
If we believe God can do miracles, then it is not a long leap to realize that God can choose to answer any prayer we pray or any command we give to nature. God can choose to back up our words anytime he wants and by his mighty power perform the miracles we have asked or the commands we have spoken to the natural world.
Suppose we go into the parking lot and stand beside my car. I get in the car and put the keys in the ignition and hold on to the keys. But suppose I have chosen not to turn those keys until you give a command for the car to start. You stand outside and speak this command: “I command the engine in Brian Larson’s car to start.” I then turn the keys in the ignition and the car starts. That’s a picture of what happens when we give a command to the natural world, which is fulfilled. We give the command, and God makes it happen. You and I partnered to start the car, and likewise you and God partner to act on the natural world if you give a command that is in agreement with his will.
So it is biblical to command healing specifically (for biblical examples, see Acts 3:1–10 and Acts 9:39-41). If someone has a tumor, it is perfectly biblical for me to speak to that tumor and command it to be gone. “Tumor, dry up and disintegrate.” If someone has the flu, we can say, “Flu, be gone. Be healed.”
3. Faith is effective even in tiny amounts
Luke 17:5–6 (ESV) “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’”
Jesus seems to be saying, use the faith that you have. Most people do not have even mustard-seed-size faith, but that is not true of most Christians. Most Christians have faith as big as a mustard seed.
So, refuse to doubt. Keep praying and asking God to do what you desire. Persevere in faith. Keep meditating on and quoting God’s promises. Declare God’s promises aloud. Never give up. Command in the name of Jesus the natural world to align itself with what you desire. Pray more. Command more. Keep believing as best you can. Believe that God has already decreed it, that it is already God’s will and already been decreed for you by God, and now it is just a matter of time for it to manifest.
Even a tiny amount of faith can do wonders! We do not need great faith to see amazing things happen. Faith that can move mulberry trees is within reach of everyone. We need to use the faith we have, reject doubt, and persevere.
Pray for Wisdom Using This Method
You will be more successful at praying for wisdom if you have a method that keeps you on track and on target.
Here are five practical guidelines on how to pray for wisdom that will keep you on track and on target.
1. Journal
For those who dislike writing, Hosea 14:2 says something important about seeking God: “Take with you words” (ESV). Words are important to God. He gives what you ask for. Your request should not be a shifting, constantly moving target.
So write exactly what you want God to answer, modify it along the way as needed, but settle in on your inquiry. Then you will know when he answers, and you will be able to give him thanks as he deserves and share your testimony for the encouragement of others and the glory of God.
If you do not keep a journal, your inquiries will lose focus, and most of them will be forgotten and abandoned when persistence is required. The journal is therefore the key to taking an inquiry fully from the question to its complete, life-changing answer.
My journal for inquiring of God for wisdom is a file on my desktop computer as well as a note in my Evernote app because I work at my computer all day and I want the flexibility of a Word processing application so all the entries for a single inquiry can be in one place. But you may want to buy a spiral notebook or a high-quality, blank journal. Whatever you use, dedicate it to this purpose because as your ability grows in praying for wisdom successfully it will revolutionize your life, and you will inquire of God more and more.
2. Collect your inquiries
I have dozens of requests for which I am awaiting God’s wisdom.
To develop a reliable method of inquiring of God you need to have a good number of questions both major and minor on many concerns. If you focus only on one problem area, you might have trouble for a while getting a breakthrough to success in that area and getting the experience you need in praying for wisdom successfully. So collect prayers for wisdom about work, marriage and family, your finances, questions about the Bible, giving order to your house, and more.
3. Grid
For each inquiry, begin with the following information:
- Your precise inquiry
For example: Lord, please give me your wisdom about how to work smoothly with my supervisor.
- Dates inquiry begun and completed
For example: November 11, 2021 – January 14, 2022
- Dates inquiry answered partially or fully
For example: Partial answers on November 11, 2021 (page number 14), November 13, 2021 (page number 16), December 3, 2021 (page number 22), January 10, 2022 (page number 27). Summary of full wisdom received on page 28
- The wisdom received
For example: I need to give my supervisor more feedback on my projects at regular times during the process, especially when problems arise, so that she is not surprised with bad news when something is due. (Wisdom received on November 13, 2021)
- Lessons learned about inquiring of God
For example: In this inquiry I received the most wisdom when I prayed and journaled early in the morning before going to work.
4. Time
Depending on how important an inquiry is to you and how much time is available, you can vary the amount of time actually praying, listening passively, and thinking before God:
- 15 seconds – 3 minutes
- 5 – 20 minutes
- 1 hour
- Half day
- Full day
- 2 – 3 full days
5. Elements
The more time you take, the more of the following helpful elements you can include:
- You might want to fast.
- Begin by setting a time frame. This helps you persevere especially if you plan to pray for a long time.
- If you have not done so already, write your question.
- Establish your faith. Quote and meditate on Scripture promises such as James 1:5 and Matthew 7:7–8 until your faith is firm.
- Confess and repent of sin.
- If you are distracted by unrelated concerns, clear your mind by casting those burdens on the Lord.
- Surrender to God. Express your love toward him. Dedicate this inquiry to the glory of God.
- Worship and give thanks, in particular for his infinite knowledge and wisdom. Meditate on Christ as the one “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3).
- Pause and quiet your mind. As you are quiet, write any thoughts pertaining to your question that may be from God.
- Read Scripture.
- If you have the gift, pray in tongues.
- Again state your inquiry to God.
- Wait on God until you can wait patiently and with a quiet spirit.
- Listen.
- Think and write for as long as thoughts flow.
- Thank God for the wisdom received.
Again, use only the elements above that you have time for.
Conclusion
I encourage you to develop by practice a method of seeking God for wisdom that works for you. Keep practicing until your method is proven and effective.
That does not happen in a few days or weeks, because as we have seen, God does not answer all of our inquiries quickly. Moreover, some of our inquiries will be large in scale and significance, the kind that usually do not get answered overnight or in one brief installment. On the other hand, other inquiries will be relatively minor and receive answers in one session of prayerful waiting on the Lord.
All this can be a lot of work! But one gift of wisdom from God can change your life completely.
Moreover as you learn to pray for wisdom for everything that matters to you, you will come to know how to walk with God in handling the day-to-day challenges of life, and you will trust him more than you ever have before. You will prove to yourself and others that nothing is more relevant to daily life in this world than truly knowing God.
God “rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6, NIV). If an earnest, extended time of seeking does not yield the wisdom you need, do not be discouraged. You have planted a seed that will yield its fruit in God’s due season. (See Pray for Wisdom Without Presuming How God Will Answer and Pray for Wisdom Patiently and Pray for Wisdom with Determination and Pray for Wisdom with Faith.)
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)
How to Get Wisdom for Everything That Matters to You
Praying for wisdom is how you learn to lean on the Lord and prove to yourself you can trust him for everything that matters to you.
Life is hard. Your challenges and trials are many. Your goals and desires matter to you and to God. How do you get there, how do you solve problems, how do you smooth the way?
You take hold of one stunning opportunity, one breathtaking promise from the Almighty: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5, ESV).
How to get wisdom for anything
Consider the scope of this promise. This verse does not limit the need for wisdom to a specific area. If you need wisdom for your work or a certain relationship or managing finances or physical, emotional, or spiritual health or understanding things in the Bible or much, much more, this promise applies. You might need wisdom to solve a problem. You might need it to plan your future. Or to manage a project. Or to find peace, or to overcome a sinful habit. The relevance of wisdom for everything that matters most to you is boundless.
The first qualification for applying this promise is a sense of being emptyhanded. “If any of you lacks wisdom.” This promise is not for those who have the hack, but rather for those who lack. That certainly applies to me; how about you? Since I began wholeheartedly believing and depending on this promise, I have collected a long list of things for which I am praying for wisdom.
That list suggests one important lesson I have learned about praying for wisdom. The answer is often not an overnight shipment. Like all God’s promises, we must be prepared to persevere patiently for the answers. If we recognize that we lack wisdom and are willing to seek wisdom for as long as necessary, James 1:5 presents a universe of opportunity to even the simplest of God’s children.
One way I pray for wisdom
My most acute need for wisdom is how to lead people in Chicago into a relationship with Jesus Christ and enfold them in his church. For 26 years I have been pastor of a church in downtown. There are lots of people here, stacked up in tall buildings reaching to the sky, but leading them from where they are spiritually to a life of devotion to Jesus and involvement in his church has been quite a challenge. I know God can do it, and I believe he wants to do it, but when and how are still in the works.
What the wise can do
That is just one reason why James 1:5 stirs deep currents in my soul and keeps me praying daily for wisdom in evangelism. What James 1:5 promises about wisdom stands on the shoulders of all Proverbs says about the power of wisdom. For example:
“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.” (Proverbs 24:3–6)
Getting things done, putting up buildings, earning money, waging war—wisdom makes it possible. Even God does his mighty works by wisdom:
“The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.” (Proverbs 3:19–20)
And by wisdom God created and established things as sophisticated as the ecosystem of earth, the dynamics of weather, water, and light, and the plenitude of our planet’s living things.
By wisdom we learn to live in happy, fruitful ways pleasing to God. “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.” (Proverbs 3:13–18)
Finding God in the details
Based on passages like these, I am convinced God can give me and you the wisdom we need for our challenges. James 1:5 opens the door for anyone who will pray and believe for wisdom.
But there is more at stake. This is important not only for working successfully through life, but also for getting to know God better. Praying for and receiving heavenly wisdom is the way you work through the particulars of daily life in partnership with the Lord. This is as practical and relevant as Christian living gets. You know God by depending on him to give you wisdom for your job, family life, finances, health, emotions, ministry, goals, trials, prayers, and sanctification. This is how you learn to lean on the Lord and prove to yourself you can trust him in everything and for everything that matters to you.
Learning to pray for wisdom successfully is my new theme, and the Bible has much to say about it. You will not want to miss a single week.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)
God’s Power in Your Life
Where do you need to see the great power of prayer? Is your body sick or in pain? Is your family torn by conflict? Do you need a job? Do you need money? Do you need wisdom? Do your loved ones need to be saved? Do you want the power of the Holy Spirit and his gifts?
In this message, let’s continue to build up our faith with the Word of the Lord so that we exert the great power of prayer and faith where we need it.
by Craig Brian Larson, delivered January 24, 2021, at Lake Shore Church
Your Father Enjoys Answering Your Prayers
Answered prayer is central to how your heavenly Father wants you to experience his love.
How does God feel about our petitions?
My oldest sons were boys when the first Star Wars movies came out, and when birthdays and Christmas came, I remember their asking for the Star Wars figurines and spaceships that came out as toys. I took the boys to stores and looked at catalogs to see which characters and ships they wanted most. “Can I have this one, Dad?” I thought this stuff was cool, lots cooler than the toys available when I was a kid. I enjoyed buying it, and I really enjoyed giving it and seeing how much fun the boys had playing with it. Giving gifts to your kids can be a strong bonding experience and a great memory.
Asking and giving can be about love, about relationship. That’s the way prayer is with our Father in heaven. Jesus revealed that prayer is much more than a needy person coming to a powerful person for favors. God views prayer as a relationship between a good father and his children. Jesus said:
“Which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9–11, ESV)
Bonding with God through answered prayers
We all want things, not just “toys” but important things we need or want. It could be a job or a needed pay increase, a healing or wisdom to solve a problem, a spouse or a child. Unfortunately the more we want them, the likelier it is our prayers to God will become merely utilitarian—how can we get God to give us what we ask? Our petitions can become more about the request than about our relationship with the Father who loves us. This is a problem because that’s not how the Father primarily views prayer. For him, prayer is about love and bonding, relationship and time together.
God has designed our relationship around prayer. It is central to how he relates to us. I’ve known people who had a religious background that taught we should never pray for ourselves, but only for others. They learned it was selfish to ask God for anything for yourself. Well, they certainly didn’t learn that from reading the Gospels. No one urges people to pray for themselves more than Jesus.
Why would he do this? Because the Father does not resent our requests or wish we would go away. Rather, the Father loves it when we come to him with our wants and needs. He enjoys our requests. He compares our prayers to incense (Rev. 5:8). He invites us to ask and keep asking until we receive. He enjoys seeing how happy we are when we receive his answers. He enjoys, really enjoys, really really enjoys hearing us say thank you. He enjoys seeing us enjoy what he gives.
Why? Because he is good, generous, and kind.
Prayer is about relationship and love, and that’s why God enjoys it, because he is love. He is a relational being, a giver, a let’s-be-together person.
Moreover, our Father loves our faith. He enjoys it when we have enough faith in him to ask for what we want. This kind of faith brings him glory. God delights in our petitions because he delights in our faith, and that is also one reason why our petitions might take a while to be answered.
Our way and God’s way
Our way: We may not want to take time for prayer. We may want to hurry the process and get the answer as quickly as possible. We may not think God wants us to make personal requests.
God’s way: Prayer is a central and foundation aspect of our love relationship with our heavenly Father. Hearing and answering prayer is one of our heavenly Father’s greatest pleasures. It’s the central activity he shares with us, just as loving human fathers have certain things they love doing with their kids, such as eating popcorn together or going for a bike ride together.
Life principle: If you are not practicing daily prayer that includes asking your Father in heaven for the things you desire most, with an attitude of childlike trust that he will give what is best when it is best, you are missing one of the most important ways of bonding with your Father and experiencing his love.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)
What to Pray, What to Say, All Day with God
Are you finding it hard to know what to pray all day? Here is how to prevent boredom and repetition when you pause often during the day to talk to God.
Those who decide they want to practice God’s presence by pausing frequently during the day for brief prayers can run into a problem. What do you pray all day? After a while how do you keep from feeling bored and repetitious? How do you maintain this?
The answer is to use the full gamut of prayers described in the Bible. This article lists 12 kinds of prayer you can do briefly.
12 Ways to Pray
- Express your love and devotion. This is a four-word pause: “Lord, I love you.” Or extend the prayer by telling why you love him. God wants to hear this all the time. He is affectionate and delights to receive your affection. Jesus said the first commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Mark 12:30, italics added).
- Affirm your trust. Your faith is of ultimate importance to God. He delights in it. So we say things like, “Lord, I trust in you.” “I will not fear.” “You are my provider.” “You are my rock, my shield, my fortress, my deliverer.”
- Give thanks. Once we adopt a grateful attitude, we find unlimited things large and small for which to thank God. He enjoys hearing every one. He never tires of it, never says, Enough already with thanksgiving.
- Ask for help. Express your dependence on God, as in “Lord, I need you. Help me do this.” God doesn’t want us to rely on ourselves in anything. Ask for help in every part and project of the day, no matter how small.
- Dedicate what you have and are doing to the Lord. This is a statement of purpose. “Lord, I am vacuuming the house now for you.” “Lord, I dedicate my body to you and your glory.”
- Declare faith in God’s promises. In this we go beyond a statement of trust to affirm our belief in specific promises in Scripture about how God acts toward his people. “God will give me victory in this trial.” “The Lord is my healer.” “My God says, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’” “The Lord will supply all my needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” God delights to hear that we believe his Words are true, and he wants us to speak confidence in his words even if we are struggling to feel it in the moment.
- Praise the Lord. Take pleasure in him. Recount the various aspects of God’s glorious character, nature, and works. We can learn how to do this especially from the Book of Psalms. “You are my God.” “You are my Father.” “I praise you, O God, for you are my Savior, my rock, my king, my helper, my peace, my strength, my comforter, my advocate.” “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, the Mighty One, the Holy One!”
Everything God has done is available to us for praise. “God, I praise you that you parted the Red Sea.” “Jesus, I praise you that death could not hold you in the grave.”
- Surrender everything. Whether for the first time or the hundredth, give what you value to God. “Lord, I surrender all my money and savings to you. It is yours. I am a steward of it.” “Lord, I surrender my family again today to you. They are yours.” We also surrender jobs, possessions, body, abilities, time periods.
- Confess and repent of sin. In the course of every day we think and feel, say and do, wrong things. As soon as we realize it, we should confess them to God and ask forgiveness. Then ask him to help us turn from sin and walk uprightly. “Lord, I confess feeling resentment toward my friend just now. Forgive me and help me to love and help her.” We can pray this sincerely in 10 seconds, and if we feel a transgression was so serious that we need to talk more about it with God, we can do so later in the day when we have time.
- When tempted, ask Jesus to help you overcome. In this case, we are praying before we sin. It is when we most want to sin that we least want to pray, but it is not a sin to be tempted. Even Jesus was tempted. So no matter how strongly we feel the urge to sin, we bring it to God and ask him to keep us from succumbing. Hebrews 2:18 says, “Because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
- When ill, ask for healing. Whether we are suffering the minor aches, pains, and chronic ailments that beset our bodies, or a serious cold, or a life-threatening disease, God wants us to bring them all to him as often as we feel the need. He ultimately is our healer, while doctors and medicines are means that he chooses to use and bless. But he wants and deserves the glory for all healing, and he wants us to depend ultimately on him for it. So bring every headache, indigestion, or serious disease to him in prayer.
- When tired or weak, ask for strength. One of the more frequent promises in Scripture is that God is the strength of his people. That means God can give us emotional, physical, and spiritual strength that is not from natural sources, but from the Holy Spirit. It is supernatural. So we pray things like, “Lord, give me emotional strength to have this difficult talk with me employer.”
When you know what to pray
When you use all 12 prayers, you will find you have an unlimited number of brief prayers to fill your day to overflowing, and God’s presence will be real and regular.
If you were to add another kind of prayer to this list, what would it be? Share it below in the comments.
Practicing God’s Presence Through One Foundational Habit
Habitual, brief pauses for prayer are the secret to practicing God’s presence.
Twelve habitual prayers
Practicing God’s presence involves developing a prayer habit based on about twelve prayers. We can develop them one at a time until they all become as normal as breathing.
They are not meant to be a list to walk through in sequence. Rather they are prayers that become a habit and find their natural place scattered throughout our day as led by the Lord and called forth by different situations.
For example, before I began writing this post I instinctively paused to tell God I cannot do this and need his help. This was not mechanical. It flowed naturally from my sense of need.
I have been admitting my dependence to God and asking for help for many years based on my beliefs.
I am convinced I cannot even think unless God gives me a rational mind from moment to moment (see Daniel 4), and I cannot know spiritual things apart from the Spirit of God, and I cannot formulate ideas in a helpful way without his wisdom.
That prayer is one way I practice God’s presence.
In upcoming posts we will explore twelve prayers. I suggest you focus on one or two a day to develop the habit and let others flow naturally as fits the occasion.
Don’t be mechanical. But regularly ask yourself, “How can I practice God’s presence right now?”
Having God and his Word in your mind, and on your lips if possible, makes him present to you, no matter what your emotions, what the condition of your spirit, or to what degree you sense the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The foundational habit
One habit makes the other practices possible.
It is the regular pause to pray, as often as possible throughout the day, for as little as one second to as long as you desire, but usually for five to ten seconds.
You can pray in your heart or aloud, with eyes open or closed, when you are alone or in a crowd.
You turn your mind to God and express one or more of these twelve prayers. And then you resume what you are doing.
Set a goal to increase your current practice. If you turn your thoughts to God once or twice in a typical day, increase to four to six times.
Perhaps set an alarm on your phone to remind you, or tie it to regular activities like meals, tea breaks, and getting in and out of bed.
When that habit is established, increase your pauses to every hour. Then twice each hour, then every ten minutes. Eventually you will settle into a frequency that is natural and comfortable.
As a complement to the time trigger for pausing to pray, also tie prayers to situations.
For example, when tempted, we can ask Jesus to help us overcome it (see Hebrews 2:16–18). Or when worries arise, we can declare trust in God.
Next week we will begin exploring the twelve prayers that provide variety and relevance in practicing God’s presence throughout the day.
Other readers and I would love to hear from you. Do you tend to pray in one devotional time a day or in brief pauses for prayer throughout the day, or both?
The Impossible Job
Do you have an impossible job?
Last night a woman in our church told how God had just given her success on a large, important project at work.
She is a website architect working for a big downtown bank that hired her specifically to upgrade their site’s interface for those with disabilities.
One impossible job
But everyone with whom she directly worked told her: You can’t do this. You will fail. You don’t have the necessary intelligence for this.
Indeed, she agreed. She didn’t know how to do it.
No one knew how to do what the bank was asking. One technician told her he could not do in a year even part of what the company was asking to be done in six months. These were uncharted waters.
She feared what would happen if she failed. That she would lose her job and pay. That she would have to move away.
Unceasing prayer
So she called out to God. All day long, every day, she prayed fervently over every detail, every web page, every line of code. She literally wept and prayed. She felt small and vulnerable.
But she also had fierce conviction that God was great enough to help her with an impossible job. She kept crying out to God day after day, planning functionalities, writing code, telling her team of developers what to do. She worked hard. Day after day she received wisdom for one piece of the project after another. Every step and idea was a discovery.
And so, week after week, one piece, one page, one functionality of the website after another came together. Months passed and the progress continued. The hand of God was upon her, and he blessed her entire team.
Great success
With the deadline approaching they were ready to release their work. They were ready to go live with approximately eighty new web pages of cutting edge technology.
On the day of release they discovered one minor problem. Just one easily fixed bug. But everything else worked flawlessly.
Last night our website architect told this story and enthusiastically gave God all the glory.
Divine wisdom for impossible jobs
As she spoke, a Scripture came to my mind, and when she finished I read it.
The story is about a young man whom a pagan king recruited to serve in his court. For three years he received training in the language, literature, and wisdom of that culture. At the end of that period, he Daniel and three Hebrew friends were brought before the king for a final exam.
“And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom” (Daniel 1:20).
Proverbs 2:6 says, “The LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
2 Timothy 2:7 says, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”
Do you need to be a pastor to know God and his ways, to experience God working at your right hand?
No, you just need to have work to do. You need to sense your need of God’s help, to know that you can’t do anything apart from him. And you need to cry out to him with faith continually. To work hard. And then watch God work. In the end you will give him glory.
Ultimate Experience: The Unmanageable God
Knowing God is the ultimate experience because he is beyond control.
<script async data-uid=”c261b366b2″ src=”https://unique-trailblazer-4907.ck.page/c261b366b2/index.js”></script>
Relationships
Relationships are interesting because people are interesting, and one reason people are interesting is they are not puppets. People are a wonder to explore and a challenge to know because we each have our own mind and will.
And because of that, relationships are dynamic, fluid, ever changing, like Chicago weather. Being a weatherman in Chicago is interesting; in San Diego, boring.
God has his own mind and will, and so he is anything but boring to relate to.
If you want a God you can control, master, limit to formulas, put in a box, and have all figured out, you’ll need to make yourself an idol. People make idols so they have some measure of control. We come to idols because we want some higher power who will do what we want. Idols are manageable deities.
The true God is not manageable.
People have written books about How to Manage Your Boss. That’s an interesting turnaround, and it’s something every employee would like to do. How sweet it would be to control the supervisor who controls you.
But you can’t do that with God. Forget about writing the book How to Manage God. It can’t be done.
Few would dare put that into words, but that is what we all try to do. We want to control our lives, and therefore we need to control God. We know he is superior to us, but we need to manage him if we are to have the life we want. So we set the agenda and schedule for how he works in our lives and see if we can persuade him to go along.
But the true God is way beyond us.
He is “the blessed and only Sovereign” (1 Tim. 6:15). He “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11). “Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth” (Psalm 135:6).
The world is his kingdom, not mine.
If that were the end of the story, we might not be happy.
God’s open-door policy
But there is more. For God invites us into a relationship where our desires matter immensely to him.
Though he is sovereign, he invites us to present our requests to him. He is a good Father who loves to give his children what they ask if it is in their welfare.
God is sovereign and holy, which is wonderful; he is also loving, fully open to our entreaties, good, kind, generous, gracious, relational, and completely approachable through faith in our perfect mediator Jesus Christ.
Put that all together, and you know he is both almighty and trustworthy.
Knowing him is never boring. Never shallow.
What it is to mountain climbers to scale Mount Everest is just a hint of the majestic experience that awaits us as we walk with God.