Faith, Prayer, and What We Get

Why a Bible discussion?

The simple explanation is that I want to grok the Bible. And since that would probably take several lifetimes I figure I'll get a few things understood while I can. I'm also a bit lazy about regular reading/studying and having people commenting on the stuff that I do research and write about should keep me on task a bit better. We'll see.

I also want to question a lot of the assumptions many people (and I myself) have about the Bible. From what I've seen people seem to join a school of thought about it and then adopt only interpretations that follow that line of thinking. I'm a firm believer in examination and inquiry. Meaning I want to understand even the things that are unquestionable, if at all possible.

While this discussion is mostly about what I want to know I'm hoping that people will comment and continue to participate, chiming in with their thoughts on what the Bible says and means. And I'm praying that the discussion will be enlightening and informative with as little drama as possible, though I'm sure there will be some. As my juggling instructor says "a drop is progress;" meaning that you're not challenging yourself if you don't make some mistakes. Hopefully my readers can be forgiving of me, as I'll try to be also. My wife just chimed in with something a friend of hers likes to say: "If you don't have a problem with the Bible you're not reading it." Let's see if we can solve some of those problems, and maybe create some more. *wink*

So, here goes the first attempt at grokking:

Faith, Prayer, and What We Get

I often hear people say that prayer works and then put some sort of qualifier on it. It usually goes something like: "You get what you ask for in prayer as long as it's part of God's plan," or "Just have faith that God will work it all out in his own way, but don't expect specific things."

I have never seen any of these qualifiers in the Bible. In fact every verse about prayer I remember reading makes it plain that you get exactly what you ask for if you have faith and/or belief. Here's the best example:

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. - Mark 11:24 (NIV)

That seems pretty clear and strait-forward to me. The above verse doesn't even say anything about faith, or God, just that you have to believe that you have received. How about this one?

"... if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." - Matthew 17:20 (NIV)

Not only does this verse say you'll get what you ask for but "nothing will be impossible for you." That seems pretty unequivocal. And I'm pretty sure moving mountains around wouldn't be considered part of God's "plan" by most people. In fact they might just lock you up if you go around moving mountains. Over and over again the Bible says we can have or do anything we can conceive of, and yet the people who profess the strongest belief in the Bible don't believe. Here are several more Bible verses.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! - Matthew 7:7-11 (NIV)

Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." - Matthew 8:13 (NIV)

Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you" - Matthew 9:29 (NIV)

He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you. - Luke 17:6 (NIV)

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. - James 1:5 (NIV)

Now for some scriptures that might conflict with the above premise.

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. - James 4:3

Many think of this as an argument against selfishness, but that's for another discussion. God has made it quite clear he wants us to prosper and find joy, even in this world. I think this is more likely about where that joy and prosperity comes from. The only real happiness comes from a relationship with God and if your looking for "pleasures" in what can be purchased with money you'll never really find what you're looking for. This doesn't mean we can't have anything we want and even enjoy the things of this world, the point is that if you're looking for fulfillment/happiness/purpose it only comes from one source. This world is like Jello; it tastes great, but you can't live on it. And as long as we pray for Jello we'll keep feeling like crap, and not getting what we really want.

The only reason we want anything is because we think it will make us happier. But when we realize that a connection/relationship with God will give us all the happiness we could ever want, the things of this world become trifles that God is happy to share with us.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. - 1 John 5:14 (NIV)

Hmmm... let's keep reading.

And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. - 1 John 5:15 (NIV)

Here again is the Bible saying that we can have whatever we ask, but this time, with the caveat that what we ask for must be according to God's will. Or does it? Is the Bible saying that what we ask for must be his will, or that we have to ask in the way we are told to?

The second verse (5:15) seems to indicate that the fist verse (5:14) was talking about asking in a way that God would listen and once he's listening he will then grant us any request. So we must ask according to his will, otherwise we won't be heard and our request will go unanswered. The Bible is full of instruction on how to pray and/or commune with God to get the message through; but, in my (trying to be humble) opinion, we still haven't found a restriction on what we can ask for and even more evidence that whatever it is we ask we will receive it. Maybe the next verse will help us figure out why where not always getting what we ask for.

For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. - 1 Peter 3:10-12 (NIV)

Now many think this means that you must be some kind of perfect Christian and have all our "ducks in a row" with God before he will listen. Like having all sin confessed, devoting yourself to helping others, never having an argument, praying/studying for hours a day, never uttering an untruth, etc. If that were the case then 99.9% of the human race would be in a terrible pickle because almost no one's prayers would be answered.

I don't think these verses are trying to say that if someone does evil God will turn away from them forever unless they get things worked out, but he does turn away as the evil, or sin, is committed. We all do "evil" and we all do good, and God is listening when we are in alignment with him, or doing "good." The hint here on how to get God to listen is in the first couple of verses that tell us not to speak of (or think about) evil. How many of us discussed something that's been happening in the news lately today. We are to "seek peace" not keep up on the news if we want God to hear our prayers.

I don't consider this a complete discussion until others chime in, so please comment and let me know how you understand what the Bible says on this subject.