To understand the prayer of faith, we need to understand what prayer is. And to begin to grasp the real essence of prayer, we must realize that the word “prayer” is an umbrella word, which means that it refers to more than one type of the same thing.
Prayer generally refers to communication between the spirit of a person, and the Spirit of God. Prayer refers to various graces and means inspired by God, through which we communicate with Him, each of them either establishes or maintains a highway between the mind of God and a person’s earth space.
The various types of prayers include “meditation,” “the prayer of faith,” “the prayer of supplication,” “the prayer of thanksgiving,” “the prayer of praise,” “the prayer of intercession,” to mention a few. Please note that often several of these means of spiritual communication can also feature together in a single conversation. By conversation I refer to that actual use of these graces and means within a particular pocket of time.
“The prayer of faith” is at work whenever you see yourself enforcing the word, maybe in order to receive one provision or the other from God, or to experience the manifestation of a particular word from scripture about holiness, health, wealth, etc. “The prayer of faith” usually involve two other types of prayer; meditation and “the prayer of thanksgiving.” The faith-energy that does the spiritual work during “the prayer of faith” is acquired by meditating on the word you’re enforcing.
The bible says that Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the (sure) evidence of things not seen. One dictionary defines evidence as ‘something that gives a sign or proof of the existence or truth of something, or that helps somebody to come to a particular conclusion.’
To pray the prayer of faith effectively, we have to have proof or the assurance of what we are requesting for. As believers, the proof or assurance of what we request can be found nowhere else but in the word of God; so before we proceed with a prayer of faith, we have to search the word of God to first of all ascertain that what we request of God is according to the word or the will of God. Once we have searched and ascertained what we need from the word of God, then we must meditate on it. To meditate simply means to continually engage one’s thought in a thing by contemplating or reflecting on that thing. Meditating on the word of God is a very important step in effectively praying the prayer of faith because as we engage our thought on a thing it will eventually take root in our mind. It is as the word takes root in our heart that our confidence or assurance builds.
Once the word takes root in our mind and confidence in the word of God builds, we can then proceed to pray the prayer of faith effectively. It works like a rechargeable battery: it doesn’t generate power, it only absorbs, stores and then releases it again. So, plug yourself long enough into that particular scripture and absorb enough of the divine creative energy it supplies, and then release it on the situation by speaking words of power that are in agreement with that scripture. Note that “the prayer of faith” is not the kind of prayer that “begs” God for something, this kind of prayer commands what God has already done to appear. It makes manifest the hidden wisdom (acts) of God.
The final step in praying the prayer of faith is giving thanks to God. Giving thanks after praying the prayer of faith is also important because when the devil tries to sow thorns of worry and doubt into your mind, giving thanks helps you build back your confidence and it also shows that you are expectant according to the will of God. A heartfelt thanksgiving generates joy within you, which completes your readiness to receive.
May God help us as we offer the prayer of faith
James 5:14, 15 ‘Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.’
James 1:5-7 ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.’
Hebrew 11:6 ‘And 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.’
Romans 10:17 ‘So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’
Mark 4:15-19 ‘Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.’
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Temitope Talabi is a founding member of The Trent Voices currently reside in Austin, TX. She graduated with a PharmD from Texas Southern University in Houston, TX. She works as a community pharmacist and spends her spare time writing to build and encourage others through the word of God. Temitope is also currently working on a series of self-help books created to empower people to take charge of their health and wellness, the first of which is scheduled to be released early next year.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
