Closer to God with 1-Minute Prayer
Relationships require communication to flourish, and our relationship with our Heavenly Father is no different. God speaks to us through his word (i.e., the Bible) and we speak to God through prayer. Can something as simple as a 1-minute prayer make us feel closer to God? An experiment was ran to find out. The results suggested that, yes, even praying for just 1 minute can increase our feelings of closeness to God.
This document discusses praying with Faith.
When we pray to Jesus, we should do so with faith and trust in His power and love. Believe that Jesus hears your prayers and is working on you behalf, even if you don’t see immediate results. Pray with confidence and know that Jesus is with you, always.
Bible Verses about Faith
Matthew 21:22 – And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.
2 Corinthians 5:7 – For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Romans 10:17 – So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:6 – And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Colin Smith writes:
What Does It Mean to Pray with Faith?
I want to show you from the Bible that faith prays in two ways: Faith prays with assurance, and faith prays with submission. These two kinds of prayer are given to us for different situations. It is important that we know how to use them and that we learn to distinguish between them.
- Faith prays with assurance when God has made the outcome known.
Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. (James 5:17)
James gives us an example of this from the story of Elijah. It was a time of great idolatry, as people were worshiping Baal. He must have been sure that what he prayed would happen, because 1 Kings tells us Elijah went into the court of the tyrant, King Ahab, and said, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). Elijah knew that what he prayed would happen. After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab and I will send rain on the land.” (1 Kings 18:1)
God says to Elijah, “There will be rain.” On the basis of that promise, Elijah speaks to Ahab and then begins to pray. God revealed what he was going to do, so when Elijah prayed, he had great confidence that what he prayed would happen.
- Faith prays with submission when God has kept the outcome hidden.
This is how faith prays in all the situations where you simply do not know what the outcome will be. You apply for a job, but there is no special promise of Scripture that you will get it, and you may have no special prompting of the Spirit about it. The outcome has not been made known. So, faith prays with submission.
The extraordinary thing is that this kind of prayer is equally effective. It is not that these two kinds of prayer are greater and lesser. It is certainly not that one involves faith and the other does not. These two kinds of prayer are given to us for different situations. Let me give you two examples of this second kind of praying:
Example #1: The man with leprosy
A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” (Mark 1:40)
From the man’s prayer it is clear that he knows Christ can heal him: “You can make me clean.” There is no doubt there. What he does not know is if it is Christ’s purpose to make him clean: “If you are willing…”
He does not know what the outcome will be. To ask with assurance would be presumption. So, he asks with submission, and in this way he honors Christ. Then we read, “Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’” (Mark 1:41).
This is not an inferior kind of praying. Faith prays with assurance when God has made the outcome clear, and with submission when God has kept the outcome hidden. This is the appropriate way of praying when we do not have a promise of Scripture, or a prompting of the Spirit with regards to God’s purpose in a particular situation.
Example #2: The Apostle Paul
There was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. (2 Corinthians 12:7)
You would think the outcome is absolutely clear. Paul is doing God’s work, and he is being tormented by this particular trouble. Satan is actively involved, so surely we know God’s will here. Paul begins to pray: “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me”. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” Paul’s faith is expressed, not in assurance of the outcome, but in submission to the outcome.
Pray with Submission in What God Has Kept Hidden
Cultivate humility in your praying. You may ask, and you may plead, as Paul did, but always remember you are asking, not commanding:
Pray with Assurance for What God Has Revealed
Cultivate boldness in your praying. God may make His purpose known either through a promise of Scripture or through a prompting of the Spirit. When God has spoken a clear promise that is for all people, you do not need to say, “If it be Your will.” You can pray with great assurance. The Scripture is full of such promises. The Bible is like a field of buried treasure, and prayer digs up the promises of God.
When you come to ask for the strength, power, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, you do not need to say, “Father, give me Your Holy Spirit, if it be Your will.” He has already told you what His will is. The promises of God open the door to a faith that prays with great assurance and boldness: “Let us…come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
For many of us, the most difficult time to muster our faith is in the face of a crisis or challenge. The knowledge that there’s a greater plan doesn’t necessarily ease the pain of losing someone too soon or the discomfort that comes with conflict. It’s natural to ask, why me? Why now? Though this answer often feels unsatisfying at first, it’s not always up to us to understand God’s plan. And relying on our faith doesn’t mean we don’t suffer or feel pain, but it does provide solace and strength in knowing that we are cared for in ways unseen and unknown.
What is Faith?
Put simply, faith is believing in God and trusting in His plan, even when you don’t understand it and can’t see it. As it applies to our life, however, faith is about more than just a feeling, it’s about living it. We live our faith through obedience to God and acts of service.
When you come to Jesus, you will come into conflict. It may come from Satan or from God, but God is over it all. Satan brings conflict to cause you to stumble. God brings conflict to cause you to stand and to increase your faith.
God wants to build character into you. God wants to increase faith in you—rock solid, biblical faith. Reputation is what others think about you. Character is what God knows about you. God will put you in the fire of affliction, to increase your faith, to test you. The faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted.
That is how you will learn how much dross needs to be burned out of your life—the sludge in the gold ore. The times when you will grow the most, and increase faith the most, are not when everything’s fine. Faith increases in the times when you are going through pressure and sorrow.
God did not take away evil. He transforms it. God did not stop the crucifixion—He gave us Easter. God took Paul’s weakness and transformed it into strength. We don’t want to stay in the fire. But the refiner knows the gold is pure when he can see his face reflected in it. God is looking for His character, His likeness, reflected in our lives.
Character will give confident hope. When the Bible says “hope,” it doesn’t mean “maybe.” Hope means faith in God. Hope comes when you have been through the fire and you know God has not failed you. You know He has kept His Word.
Prayer is an exercise of faith. Prayer reveals that we realize we can’t do life on our own, and we need God’s help in every area. It is a privilege to actively put our faith in God. Whether you’ve had faith examples through your family or you have no spiritual heritage, right now you have the opportunity to love and worship God with your whole heart. Ask him to come near, even if you have ventured far. God loves to answer the prayers of those seeking him. He loves you.
