Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive. The word believing is the key to any difficulty in accepting this declaration literally. We cannot believe whatever we please. It is only the Spirit of God who can enable a man to believe that God will answer his prayer. Then He will grant the petition. Here it is necessary to notice that faith in Christ as your Saviour is one thing, while faith in the favourable answer of a particular prayer is another and distinct thing. You may have a firm faith in your Saviour, and yet not be able to " ask in faith, nothing wavering," when you offer up a particular petition, because you are not sure that it is according to the will of God. When God has absolutely promised any blessing, you ought to believe without doubting that the answer is certain. But we are wanted to pray in other cases when we have no specific promise to plead. "In all things make your requests known unto God." Your child may be dying; you pray for it; but have no specific promise that it will recover. Yet, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible," etc. But there is no promise that this kind of faith will be given. It may please God for the best of reasons to withhold it. Jesus Christ is God; He is King of Kings; He governs the universe. We must be in training with Him before we can be blessed. To this infinite spiritual Power and Presence we are invited to pray. By sense we perceive the visible world; by faith, the invisible. To our completeness faith is not less necessary than sight. It is even more necessary; for a blind man, by faith, may live a glorious life even on earth, where his bodily eyes are closed. And do we not all see in our dreams, when we are asleep, things far more beautiful than we ever see when we are awake? This is significant, surely. Every time we go to sleep we enter upon the confines of a spiritual world which our outward eyes cannot see. When we dream, we are consciously moving in a border-land, a wonder-land, where we see with other eyes than those of our visible bodies. So faith is a kind of spiritual vision. As Christians " we walk by faith, not by sight" merely. Moreover, faith is an inspiration and a power. It is mighty through God to the pulling down of our enemy's strongholds. Faith in God — faith in Christ as God — faith in the promises — faith in the efficacy of prayer — this it is that enables the joyful disciple to look down upon the distinctions which the world values most, as a full-grown man looks upon the painted toys of little children. Faith is not superstition. Faith in the invisible part of the Divine scheme, is the God-given function of every healthy soul. This implies confidence in God as the Hearer and Answerer of prayer — the God of truth whose promises not one word can fail. When He gives a petitioner faith in the success of His petition, then there can be no doubt but that He intends to answer. (J. Aberigh-Mackay, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.WEB: All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." |
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