If you pray for something and don’t get it, is it because you didn’t have enough faith?

Yesterday, we looked at this same verse and talked about how we can ask God to help us when we struggle to believe. This verse speaks to another reality as well

…whether God responds to weak faith.

If Your Faith Is Just Strong Enough…
Some people have made the claim that if we have super strong faith, God will do super amazing miracles. However, if God doesn’t do what we asked, it was because we had too little faith. This has caused a lot of people to feel guilty for loved ones not being healed. They not only have sorrow for the suffering that person is going through, but have had the misery of guilt heaped on top of their sorrow as they think,

“If I had enough faith, they wouldn’t be going through this.” or, if the person passed, “They wouldn’t have died if I had enough faith.”

How horrible!

Especially since the Bible tells us otherwise.

In our passage for today, a father was desperate for an evil spirit that had been tormenting his son to be cast out. He brought his son to the disciples, but they could cast the demon out. When Jesus arrived, the Father questioned whether Jesus could heal his son. Jesus says He can cast out the evil spirit if the father believes. This father admits he had little faith, but Jesus did a big miracle in driving the demon from the boy.

We can ask God for all kinds of things, big and small, amazing and ordinary. God’s answer, whether it is to do what we asked or not, comes from His grace, mercy, and love, not as a result of whether we have enough faith to earn God’s action.

In fact, if you think about it, the biggest miracle God does in our life, saving us by raising us to new life in Christ, He does when we have no faith.

Jesus said all authority in heaven and on earth are His. The Bible tells us God can do more than we can ask or imagine. It’s all about God and His gracious love for you.

Even with faith the size of a mustard seed, the Bible tells us we could move mountains.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for hearing our prayers and answering them, even when our faith is weak. Lead us to what we should be praying for. Embolden us to ask, as a child would ask a father they know loves them dearly.

Amen

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.