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A prayer of faith is a petition made to the Lord God through Jesus Christ with utmost faith that Jesus will grant this request! It’s usually accompanied by a bold declaration.

Prayer is our means of communicating with God. As human beings, we’re fragile and only in control of our lives to a certain extent.

How do we navigate through life with all the troubles and uncertainties? The good news is that, as believers, our God is our Father.

He treats us like His very own. His love for us is immeasurable.

The Bible says in Romans 8:32,

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

The Father didn’t even spare His own Son for the sake of the world. As such, how can He ignore our pleas and cries?

We know that God is for us (Romans 8:31). Many of us lose faith in God or give up too easily because we’ve heard a ‘no’ from God or God just hasn’t answered our prayers yet.

Well, here in lies the mistake. We need to persevere in prayer. Impossible situations require immense and sometimes impossible amounts of faith. Before we get into the article, ask yourself two questions:

1. How strong is your faith?
2. How is your prayer life?

Take a few minutes to ponder on these questions because a believer without a prayer life is on the wrong path. I cannot stress enough the importance of prayer in a believer’s life.

What Is The Meaning Of The Prayer of Faith?

Jesus lived a life of prayer. He prayed frequently! Why did the only Son of God (who was God Himself) have to spend great amounts of time in prayer?

What was the need for Him to do that? Well, when we understand the weight and significance of prayer, we will start to see why it is utterly necessary to live a life of prayer.

Let us understand this in the following passages.

Apostle James wrote about the prayer of faith. See James 5:? However, the basic fundamental is that it is a petition that a Believer in Jesus Christ offers to him in absolute and complete faith.

What does the Bible have to say about faith? It is important to get the basics right in order to understand the functioning of God’s Kingdom and receive His blessings.

Faith isn’t for the easy times; it is for the hard times. God isn’t testing your faith during a period of blessing. We also know that we cannot please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6).

In a way, we don’t really have a choice when it comes to exercising faith. We have to trust God completely in the midst of the impossibility.

Thus, a prayer of faith, in a way, is one that’s prayed in complete faith, irrespective of the extremity of the situation.  

What Is The Prayer Of Faith?

The prayer of faith has the following characteristics:

1. Trust and complete Faith: The prayer of faith is offered with genuine and unwavering trust in the power and providence of the Lord. It is not just knowing but also completely believing without a doubt that the Lord is capable of answering the prayer and meeting the needs of the person. Another part we often neglect is that God doesn’t always have an ideal answer (He does, but not from a human’s perspective) to our prayers; sometimes, it will be a no, and that is the perfect answer to the prayer of Faith. God, in His perfect will and sovereignty, knows and sees everything. Exercising faith is trusting Him no matter what, especially when the answer is no.
2. Surrender and humility: The prayer of faith often involves having an attitude of surrender, recognizing that the outcome is ultimately in the hands of the Lord. It is an acknowledgment of one’s own limitations and a willingness to submit to God. At the end of the day, we’re nothing without God, and everything we have comes from Him. God blesses a humble heart.
3. Persistence and perseverance: The prayer of faith may involve a continuous and steadfast approach, persisting in prayer despite obstacles or delays. In the pursuit of refining faith, we will be pushed to our absolute limits, and that is the will of God. Refining happens through the fires of suffering, and this is where we’re expected to look to God and trust His providence. It is a commitment to continue seeking His intervention and guidance, trusting that the answer will come in due time. It is knowing for certain that He will come through for us.
4. Gratitude and thanksgiving: The prayer of faith often incorporates an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving, even before the desired outcome is realized. It involves expressing gratitude for the blessings already received and trust in the divine’s provision for the future. It’s important to note that the interpretation and practices related to the prayer of faith may vary among different religious and spiritual traditions. The specific beliefs and rituals associated with this prayer can differ, but the underlying concept revolves around the expression of sincere faith and trust in a higher power.

 What Are Examples of Prayer of Faith In The Bible?

Job’s Prayer

• Let’s examine the life of Job and note that he made prayers of faith. His life was a prayer of itself. He knew that God was in control and that He was able to give and take however and whatever He pleased.
• Job also knew that God would provide and keep His promises.

Abraham’s Prayer

• Abraham was another person who prayed a prayer of faith and didn’t let anything waver His faith in the Lord. It took years for Him to see the fulfillment of the promise, but He completely trusted in God’s character.

What Is The Prayer Of Faith In James 5?

The Bible talks about the Prayer of Faith in James 5:13-16,

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

The prayer of faith is often prayed by the elders of the church over a sick person. The sickness doesn’t have to be just a physical sickness; it can be mental or psychological. God is able to heal anyone. At the end of the day, we need to pray for the will of God in all situations, but does this mean that we need to give up on praying or fighting? Certainly not!

We need to fight in our prayers because God wants us to exercise our faith. The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8) is a great example of pushing one’s faith. Are we guaranteed healing? Are we guaranteed an ideal answer to our prayers? Not really. Here, we need to understand that God is sovereign, and He will do what is best for His children. At the same time, we need to have an unwavering trust in His nature and character. He is able to do anything. Faith has more to do with our trust in God’s character than to do with what we’re praying for.

Why Is The Prayer Of Faith Important?

The prayer of faith is important due to the following reasons:

1. Strengthening one’s relationship with the Lord: Prayer of faith deepens the connection and relationship between the person involved and the Lord. It allows for a personal and intimate dialogue with God, fostering a sense of closeness, trust, and reliance on the Lord. It brings us closer to Him and makes us look at everything from the eyes of faith.
2. Cultivating hope and trust: Engaging in the prayer of faith instills hope and trust in God’s power and goodness. It reminds us God’s plans always prevail and that He is in complete control of our lives. In the very midst of life’s challenges and uncertainties, He is present and holding our hands. This hope and trust provide comfort and assurance, especially in difficult times.
3. Seeking guidance and wisdom: The prayer of faith provides an avenue to seek the Lord’s guidance and wisdom. It allows us to tap into the Lord’s supernatural source of knowledge and insight, helping us make important decisions, navigate challenges, and find clarity in our lives. It makes us walk in His will while also believing and praying for the impossible.
4. Finding solace and peace: Prayer of faith offers a source of solace, comfort, and peace in times of distress, grief, or inner turmoil. It provides a space to lay burdens before the Lord, to find solace in His amazing love and compassion, and to experience a sense of peace that transcends all human understanding.
5. Empowering personal transformation: Engaging in the prayer of faith can encourage personal transformation. It opens the door to self-reflection, introspection, and surrendering to God’s power and will. Through prayer, we can seek strength, guidance, and grace to overcome personal struggles, cultivate virtues, and grow spiritually. God wants us to live out our purpose completely, but how many of us do this?
6. Expressing gratitude and thanksgiving: The prayer of faith involves expressing gratitude and thanksgiving for the blessings received. It nurtures a sense of appreciation and recognition of the Lord’s presence and provision in one’s life. Gratitude enhances overall well-being and cultivates a positive outlook. Gratitude brings us to a place of complete humility.

Conclusion

We’ve seen and understood the prayer of faith mentioned in James 5. The question now is, how many of us pray such prayers and allow God to push us out of our comfort zones?

Thanks to Timothy Eberly for the photo above!