Believing Your Own Prayers

The story is told of a small town in which there were no liquor stores. Eventually, however, a nightclub was built right on Main Street. Members of one of the churches in the area were so disturbed that they conducted several all-night prayer meetings and asked the Lord to burn down that den of iniquity. Lightning struck the tavern a short time later, and it was completely destroyed by fire. The owner, knowing how the church people had prayed, sued them for the damages. His attorney claimed that their prayers had caused the loss. The congregation, on the other hand, hired a lawyer and fought the charges. After much deliberation the judge declared, "It's the opinion of this court that wherever the guilt may lie, the tavern keeper is the one who really believes in prayer while the church members do not!" While humorous, this does apply occasionally to our own prayer life. All of us have those momentary episodes when we pray feeling more doubt than we do faith. I think this was the very issue Jesus was trying to clarify when dealing with the father in Mark 9. This man cried out asking that his son be delivered of a deaf and dumb spirit. Jesus responded by saying, “if you can believe all things are possible to him that believes.” This statement was made immediately following what I would consider to be a prayer offered. This father is quick to respond, “Lord, I believe help my unbelief.” Jesus was asking, “Do you believe in what you’re praying?” Doubt is a part of life. It is something we all contend with from time to time. We cannot blame others for expressing their doubts and we cannot condemn ourselves when we are gripped with this challenge to faith. Although we experience it, we must realize doubt can be an inconvenient part of our journey when praying but can never be a final destination. Do you believe what you are praying?