The Importance of Faith When Praying
In the book of James, we are reminded of a requirement for God-honoring prayer. Faith. James writes specifically in James 1:6-8, “6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
While the context of this passage is asking for wisdom from God during trials, the principle of possessing faith when asking for wisdom from God is a principle that applies to all prayer.
When one talks about the necessity of possessing faith in prayer, it is not uncommon for us to think about the false teacher who bends Scripture and says, “God will give you whatever you ask if you just possess enough faith.” They will twist passages like Matthew 21:21-22 and James 1:5-8, which we are considering here to try and establish their point. They do this to the neglect of other Scriptures, which highlight that our requests are not to be selfish or wrongly motivated (James 4:3), and our prayers are to be for God’s will to be accomplished, not our own (Matthew 6:10).
Thus, praying with faith is not a take it to the bank guarantee that God will give you anything and everything you pray for. Instead, praying with faith is the disposition of a Christian who knows that God is willing to hear and possesses the power to answer their prayers.
E.M. Bounds, one of the most prolific writers on prayer, writes this about the importance of faith and prayer,
Before prayer ever starts toward God; before its petition is preferred, before its requests are made known—faith must have gone on ahead; must have asserted its belief in the existence of God; must have given its assent to the gracious truth that “God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek His face.” This is the primary step in praying. In this regard, while faith does not bring the blessing, yet it puts prayer in a position to ask for it, and leads to another step toward realization, by aiding the petitioner to believe that God is able and willing to bless.[1]
As Scripture highlights and E.M. Bounds attests too. Faith is an absolute necessity for the child of God who seeks to approach the throne of God in prayer. As we strive to pray with faith as James instructs us to, may we do so with confidence in the ability of God yet humbly so that we may genuinely say, not my will O Lord, but Your will be done. (Luke 22:42)
[1] Bounds, E. M. (1999). The necessity of prayer. Logos Research Systems, Inc.