A few years ago, I got upset with God because my friend died despite being a believer (one who believes in God). When I got to know about MCGI Cares, I visited the YouTube channel to watch one of the videos titled “What is the proper way to pray?” This was where I got a clear understanding of why my situation remained the same.
Bro. Eli began the session by saying:
“So that we may receive what we are asking for, let us pray in faith without any doubt that God can do the things we are asking for.”
Most times God knows what we pass through, He knows we are anxious but He cannot assist us unless we tell Him to. This is where I understand that I need to pray. According to Bro Eli in his teaching, prayer simply means asking God a favor to do something we cannot do, this was seen in Philippians 4:6
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.src
This is an instruction in the Bible for us all - that we should not have anxiety about anything. Certainly, the world is filled with many problems, anxieties, worries, etc. As a child of God, we must not be troubled, rather, in everything we need to tell God. Furthermore, Bro Eli added that prayer is requesting God for something that we cannot do. For instance, before my cousin died, the role I had was to pray because the situation was beyond the knowledge of the medical team. As we pray, we are making our request known to God. Additionally, since God is also a God of nature, we need to pray to Him when we have disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, etc. He can save you! This lesson has changed my perspective on how one should pray.
Aside from making my request known to God, I need to believe that God can do what I am asking; the book of Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6 says so
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.src
From the above scripture, we must have faith when we pray, or else God will not be pleased. According to Bro. Eli, if your husband is sick, you can ask God to heal him through His power, then believe in the prayer. By that, the prayer will be heard because you told God your anxiety by believing too.
In summary from the above point, to please God and make your prayer known, ask in Faith. See James 1:6-7
6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.src
So that we may receive what we ask for, let us take away negative thinking, doubt, etc. Believe that God can do anything we ask from Him. This is what I learned new today!