Based on John 14:12-14 (New King James Version)
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
Prayer is something that is very abused and ill-used. Many do not understand what prayer should be really used for, it’s true use. And the abuse starts with what is in a person’s heart, because it is used to asked for what a person wants, and what people want is not always good, or at minimum, on-track. So then, if prayer is used by a person to get what they want, then the first thing that must be looked at is the person’s desires. What are the person’s desires or intentions that are reflected in their prayer?
One of the principle abuses with prayer is that people ask for material things, for what is vanity. And this is why many false preachers and teachers have been able to take advantage of people, because they know that what the people want is economic well-being. And of course, the false preacher and teacher falls into the same issue because that’s what they are after also. In the end, there are too many people that have a great love towards material things, and unfortunately, there is a lot of materialism within the people of the Lord. This is going to sound bad, but no one said that the truth would be easy. We are living in the last times, and we see this by the manifestation of the great harlot that the book of Revelation speaks about, where the church has become a money-making machine. Money is the driving force. Unfortunately, the majority of churches, their servants, and their people are mainly focused on making money and living well, and nothing more, those “…who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.” 1 Timothy 6:5b.
There is something that must be understood very clearly: a business depends on demand. There are many that might say: “Of course, the pastors and preachers that fill their pockets with money are evil.” And yes, that’s true. But, if a person goes to church to just look for what is material, and buys their books, and their audios, etc., and are full of greed and selfishness themselves, and they don’t help anyone, they are also a part of this great evil that is perpetuating itself. They are not part of the solution, but rather, a part of the problem as well.
This is what the Word says regarding the intentions and prayer that is misused: “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James 4:2-3. This is what the Lord said regarding riches, and that we don’t have to really worry about what we need (not talking about wants): “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [riches]. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:24-34.
So then, if the Lord instructed us in this manner, then we must think: “What was the real reason for why the Lord came?” (Because it wasn’t for making us rich, or powerful, or famous, or even to have perfect health, or anything else like that). This is what He said: “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10b. And here is where we can start really focusing on the function of prayer with great and necessary things. What is the greatest miracle that can ever be realized? Physical healings? Casting out demons? Raising someone from the dead? God can do whatever He wants because everything is within His reach, and you can ask for those kinds of needs also. But, the greatest miracle of all is eternal salvation. This is the real reason for why the Lord came, so that we could have eternal life. But, how can someone pray for the salvation of another person if they themselves don’t understand its value in their own life? Will the Lord make that miracle happen in the other person if the person that is praying for this has not really been saved yet either? (because there are many people that are still on the indecision of either believing or not believing). How can I say this? Think about your actions and what motivates your actions. If it’s the Lord that motivates you to do things, because you have understood the great miracle of eternal salvation in your own life, then you will live in a way that pleases Him and do things that truly matter to the Lord. But if your motivations are different, and those do not have God’s influence, then what needs to happen has simply not happened yet. The issue is not necessarily about wrong or right, but rather, what is the intention of the heart, and what is the thing that motivates you to act. Who are you living for, for yourself or for the Lord?
So, if we have come to the new life that the Bible talks about, of being born again in Christ, then our prayers and actions should be focused on the greatest miracle that can ever exist: the salvation of souls. This is what the Lord was referring to, that we would do even greater things, and that this prayer is answered, sooner or later, if a person does it with true faith. Your physical eyes may not see it happen, but it will happen.
So then, have you experienced the greatest miracle in your life? And if yes, are you praying and working so that others could experience it also? Lord bless! John