Are You Praying Positive or Negative Prayers?

By Andrea Merrell

God … gives life to the dead 

and calls into being things that were not.

Romans 4:17 NIV

 

“Oh, God, he drinks too much. Please make him stop. And change his nasty, critical attitude.” 

The husband’s problems were serious and the woman’s plea desperate. She prayed the only way she knew how. The only thing she could see was the situation—not the solution.

Imagine what could happen if she prayed with a different vision. Instead of focusing on her husband’s problems, what if she focused instead on the outcome—on how things should be according to God’s plan. What if she prayed positive instead of negative prayers?

Chris Tiegreen writes:

Which of those prayers is more likely to stir up your faith? One approach makes the situation look too big for God to handle. It cultivates anxiety, discouragement, and even despair. The other approach honors God’s power to transform any situation into something beautiful, joyful, and true. It cultivates expectancy and faith. It’s filled with hope.
 

Which vision you hold in your mind when you pray is significant. It matters a lot. When you pray for someone ruining his life, don’t focus on his mistakes. Develop a picture of what he will look like when restored, and then pray that picture. If you’re praying for someone who’s depressed, envision her shining with God’s radiance and pray that vision. If you’re praying for a broken system—family, government, work—imagine its glory when fully repaired. Positive praying is far more powerful than negative praying because God honors faith. A hopeful vision cultivates it. 

Next time you pray, instead of looking at the problem, focus on the solution. See the situation as it should be. As it can be. As God sees it. It probably won’t happen overnight, but don’t ever give up. God hears and responds to every faith-filled word.

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and imagerymajestic.)

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When you pray, focus on the solution. See the situation as it should be. As it can be. As God sees it. It probably won’t happen overnight, but don’t ever give up. God hears and responds to every faith-filled word. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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Small-Minded Prayers

By Andrea Merrell

 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel,

“Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!

Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm

so that I will be free from pain.” 

And God granted his request.

1 Chronicles 4:10

“You don’t think big enough,” my friend said. “God’s not put off or intimidated when you dream big and ask for what you want.”

She was right. My small-minded prayers only showed my hesitation—and possible lack of faith—to, as she said, “pray outside the box.”

The Bible says it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). Jabez is a good example for us to follow. We’re told that he was “more honorable than his brothers.” Why? Because he dared to ask God for great things. There was nothing extraordinary or special about Jabez. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about him except that he was a common man with uncommon faith.

God said to Jeremiah, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).

The apostle Paul said God is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).

In Psalm 37:4 were told that God will give us the desires of our heart when we trust in Him. That means when our desires line up with His, we can have what we ask.

If God has placed a dream in your heart, present it to Him. Then believe He'll bring it to pass. Turn your small-minded thinking into big-minded, audacious prayers.

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles.)

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If God has placed a dream in your heart, present it to Him. Turn your small-minded thinking into big-minded, audacious prayers. via@AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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