“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and you shall have it.” (Mark 11:24)
Prayer is often taught as a way to fellowship with God, to change yourself and to align yourself to God. But Jesus talked about prayer as a way to get things. He said that you must pray, and must continue to pray. You must believe, and you must persist. And when you pray, you must receive from God. Get things from him.
In his teachings on prayer, Jesus often made this the major point or even the only point. This is considered the most unspiritual motive by religious people. But Jesus is the standard of what is righteous and spiritual. It is not up to preachers and theologians to define these things, and then twist or ignore the words of Jesus in order to maintain their own ideas and traditions.
The people who heard Jesus were already obsessed with getting things, yet he still asserted this perspective on prayer, that prayer is for getting things that you decide and that you desire from God. He did not think that it was man-centered or unspiritual.
Of course it is spiritual to pray in order to get things from God. Jesus said that they worried about what they would eat, what they would drink, and what they would wear. He redirected their attention to God. They ought to focus on God first, and have faith, and then all the things that they used to worry about would be added to them, including food, clothing, shelter, and all the things that come under money. This is a righteous and spiritual way of living.
Preachers often demand Christians to worship God when they pray, and to fellowship with him. Stop asking him for things all the time, they say. And they claim that the “give me” type of prayer is the lowest form of prayer. Jesus never suggested anything like this. He told people to ask for things, and to persist when they ask for things instead of giving up. He would teach this again and again, and in different ways.
Don’t you realize that, by asking God for things, you acknowledge that he is God? And that is what worship means. To praise him and not ask him for anything is nothing but high-minded and pretentious religion, even false worship. Are we self-sufficient like God? Shall we relate to him as equals? Is that worship? Jesus continuously asked God to do this and that, to give this and that. Should we think that we are better than Jesus? Is that true faith and piety? No, it is because he alone is God that I keep asking him for things, and it is because I keep asking him for things that it becomes evident that I acknowledge him alone as God. And that is true worship.
Of course we utter thanks to God. Of course we sing praises to him. We fellowship with him when we pray. We dedicate ourselves to him and surrender our lives to him when we pray. And we repent of our sins when we pray. However, Christians have regarded getting things from God as a lesser purpose in prayer, and they are ashamed of asking for things. This has been devastating to the health of the church and the world. It has made much of worship symbolic, cutting humanity off from the powers and resources of Almighty God.
Jesus made it a priority in prayer to get things from God. It is essential to holy living and the well-being of his people that they know how to call upon God. Always get things when you pray, so that you can move forward in life and ministry. Receive from God’s powers and riches, so that your family and your church can make progress in this world.
Preachers will admonish you to ask for spiritual things, if you wish to get things at all. They do not understand what they say. In reality, they wish to restrict prayer from concrete and evident applications, because they have no faith for these things. However, God is a spirit, and everything that he does is spiritual. The gifts of healing and the workings of miracles are as spiritual as things can get, since they come from the Spirit of God and cannot be imitated by human power, but they produce physical effects. Since these things are spiritual, then I am not seeking unspiritual things when I ask for them. By definition, when I seek healings and miracles, I seek spiritual things.
Moreover, Jesus said that when I have faith, I will not worry about money, food, and clothing, and these things will be added to me. Faith is spiritual. It is just as spiritual as love, patience, and humility. But Jesus said that faith can heal the sick, cast out demons, walk on water, and move a mountain. Spiritual forces are even more powerful to produce material blessings and effects than natural forces, because spiritual forces have no limitations and can routinely work miracles.
Then there is the idea that we should focus on praying for other people. Spending much time praying for yourself, or spending any time on that at all, is portrayed as selfish. But Jesus prayed for himself all the time, and he taught people to pray to get things, and to get things for themselves. You are aware of your own needs and desires, and if you are taken care of, then you will not be a burden to other people. Everyone has needs and desires, and when you have a ready resource, even an entire God who waits for your prayers, but by an act of defiance, unbelief, and false piety you refuse to ask him for things, it shows that your idea of religion is in fact selfish and grotesque. This is deception. It is a trap designed to weaken you, to cut you off from God and to destroy you.
Do not feel embarrassed to ask God for things. Do not think that you are doing something wrong if you keep asking. This is the way of faith. This is the way of holiness and humility. Jesus wants you to live this way. This is the good news, but there are voices that want you to deviate from it. Do not accept a different gospel.
Prayer is not an exercise or exertion for mere psychological relief. It is an appeal to God for concrete blessings and solutions. Prayer can make you feel better, but it can make everything else better, because God makes everything better. Prayer can save your life. It can call down the power of God and propel you forward. Prayer can heal the sick and raise the dead. It can dispel the powers of darkness and advance the kingdom of God. Prayer can do all these things, because God can do all these things when you ask.
Prayer, it has been said, is the means by which God gives us what he decides we should receive. That is, prayer is the means by which the will of God is granted in our lives. We can agree with this. But what is the will of God? Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and you shall have it.” Isn’t that the will of God, or did Jesus contradict the will of God? And Jesus also said, “According to your faith be it unto you.” Was that against the will of God?
No, we can agree that we receive the will of God in prayer, but this does not result in defeat and suffering. It is wrong to assume that the will of God is against us, or that it will disappoint us. The will of God is for us to ask in faith, and receive what we ask. The will of God is for us to persist in prayer, to keep asking for what we decide, even in the face of apparent rejection, and then receive what we ask. The will of God is for us to ask for miracles, and receive miracles. The will of God is salvation, healing, success, and victory.
If you do not have something that you want, do not accept that as the will of God. You can get it, if you have faith in God’s ability, and you put that faith into action. If you have goals and dreams that appear unlikely, do not accept that as the will of God. You can reach it, if you put that hope into action. Ask God to give you what you hope for. If you see someone with a problem, do not accept that as the will of God. You can help anyone that you meet, if you put your love into action.
Pray, and have faith that your prayer matters. Ask God for things. When you ask God for things, you put your faith into action, you put your hope into action, you put your love into action. And as you make progress in life and ministry, the will of God also makes progress in the world through you.