Have Faith That God Answers Prayer – Be Earnest In Faith What You Pray For
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘<Jesus said,> “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”’ (Mark 11:24)
In 2022, there was a Gallup Poll showing that belief in God among Americans is at a new low. It says 81% of Americans claim to believe in God, and 17% do not believe there is a God; the 81% is down from 87% in 2017, 92% in 2011, and 98% in the 1960s. This should not surprise any of us who are ‘devout’ Christians; in truth the number is likely a lot lower as many may claim to believe in God in ‘words’, but by ‘action’ show they don’t believe at all. Even more surprising, only half (48%) of the 81% say they believe God answers prayer, meaning the other half think God does not care to answer prayers or cannot answer prayers.
Our nation – no longer bound by Godly morality but by self-situational morality, shows this disdain for God by running on feelings and not on facts. People run on what they want and not on what the common good is. Many talk of the ‘common good’ from a secular standpoint that is also a trait of the communism/socialism/progressivism that seems to be popular nowadays, but the common good of the Righteous is derived from the understanding that it is personal responsibility, to work to provide for ones’ self and family, and voluntarily give to others out of abundance or out of sacrifice (in time, treasures, or talents) to those who are in need.
The ‘common good’ of the progressive (or of most of those who are ‘woke’) is to enforce Karl Marx’ famous quote, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”. The ‘common good’ of the Christian is to meet together to encourage each other (Hebrews 10:25), together being devoted to the teachings of the Bible and praying together (Acts 2:42), as we have been called to come together in fellowship in our Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:9). The two are polar opposites in achievement and sacrifice; the former is done out of forced necessity, the latter is done willingly out of Love, for Jesus and our Christian Family.
Without God, we are expected to follow society into the cesspool of depravity, and pay for its implementation. What is needed to combat this is more Faith; more Faith that God can correct our nation’s path, and more Faith that God ‘has our six’ to stand up to the depravity, to say no to Drag Queen Story Hour, and no to the glorification of LGBTQ and manufactured racial crises. More of us need to do what Jesus asked us to do, make disciples by sharing with those who do not know Jesus or His Gospel message.
A challenge to the Church (not just MBC but the entire 48% who believe God answers prayers) is to pray with purpose and Faith (first and foremost), fellowship, study Scriptures, and go and do Great Commission things. If it is God’s will, the 81% may go back up to 87% or 92%; the reduction of non-belief will reduce those who support the ‘cesspool’, and perhaps we can get back to rugged individualism and liberty, and a voluntary spirit of giving that would provide far more for people who are in true need than simple handouts for those who take. If the political arena needs to ‘drain the Swamp’, us Christians can work on ‘draining the cesspool’ of unrighteousness we see increasing every day.
People claim they believe in God, yet half do not believe what His Son, Jesus, says. In essence, the true number of believers is about 40% of Americans, because if one says they believe in God, but then don’t believe God answers prayer even though Jesus said it (and He is the manifested one-third of the Triune God), then there is no belief.
In Mark 11 (and Matthew 6) Jesus tells His followers to earnestly pray to receive God’s blessings. Why some people don’t believe in prayer is that the prayer is for a selfish want and not a selfless need. Reliable transportation is a need, a new Mercedes is a want. One can think of self to a point in their prayer, if it is a great need. Many asked Jesus for healing, for example; a blind man wanting to see has a great need to have his sight restored. If it is a prayer for others, ask or look at what their need is and pray for that.
The need for our nation is not lower prices or a higher stock market; the need is for our nation to return to Righteousness, to regain Godly morals. With that, we can weather inflation and remove depravity from our society. People should not need to be told abortion is bad, or heterosexual relations between married ‘straight’ couples is proper; they should know this instinctively through the indwelling Holy Spirit. We may not become the ‘perfect’ nation, as only God’s Eternal Kingdom, ruled by Jesus, is that which is to come, but we can be the ‘more perfect union’ that we should strive for, under God.
