This verse is a part of a passage from the Gospel according to John in which Jesus teaches a lesson on faith to one of his 12 chosen disciples. Although the described event took place newarly 2000 years ago, Jesus’ answer is just as relevant to us today as it was back then to Thomas. Let us question ourselves sincerely – do we walk by faith or by sight? Do we pray by faith or by sight?

The truth is, for many Christians the saying “Gotta see to believe” has become a way of life. Don’t also skip the fact that the society around us encourages us to not trust anything or anyone, before we can touch and see first… And that goes on daily basis. Thus, slowly but steadily many forget about the true meaning of the word faith. This becomes an even greater problem when it comes to prayer. There is a real danger that each of us can lose faith if it is not being nurtured by a continual fellowship with God through His Word. One day you or I can wake up with an unsolvable problem in our lives and offended or even angry turn to God with the words: “Show me and I’ll believe that you have not abandoned me!”

A significant part of the non-believers today use precisely this argument for their unbelief – God has not shown himself in this and that way and that’s why I don’t believe He exists. Sometimes God choses to show Himself in a supernatural way and the faith of those who believe then is counted – just as Jesus reaffirmed Thomas’ faith. But as He said in that same passage – blessed are those who first believe.
A brief look at God’s Word reveals that all who were healed by Jesus had faith before that healing took place. Nowhere is it to be found in the Bible something like: “You have been healed because you first waited to see me and only after that you believed in me.” We should, instead take a lesson from what we can read in Luke 7:1-10 as a part of the dialogue between a Roman centurion and Jesus: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. … When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” So, do you have the faith to say in your prayer “Lord, I know you hear me. If it is your will, do heal… do provide… do save…”?

Sometimes God does not answer our prayers. Other times His answers have nothing to do with how we thought He will answer… One thing is for sure though – if you and I approach prayer with faith and not with requirements or demands, then whether God answers or not we will be drawn closer to Him. And our faith will grow as well.
If, on the other hand, we pray wanting to see a miracle, so that we may believe, then there is a chance we will lose even the little bit of faith that drives us to pray.

Pay attention to how you pray! Move forward fearlessly and in confidence with faith in God through prayer. Only then nothing and no one will be able to stand on the way between you and God.

The word Amen has a Hebrew origin and after it has entered Greek through the first century Church, today it is a part for almost every language. Generally speaking, Amen means a strong agreement with something, or a strong affirmation. It can also be translated as “verily”, “truly”, “let it be” or “so let it be.” The use of this word as a part of God’s worship dates back to the times of the Old Testament. This is where today’s Christian use is inherited from – its use in the Hebrew synagogues. Just as back then, today we say Amen at the end of prayers as a symbol of our affirmation thereof, as well as after we have accepted a blessing from an elder or another person, even outside of the context of the church gathering.

For many Christians, however, this small word has lost much of its meaning due to its almost automated daily usage. The question we ought to ask ourselves now is “Do we even think about what we mean by saying Amen, or do we just do it because it’s become a habit?”

In his letters, through his own experience, apostle Paul reveals to us the importance of the correct understanding of the word. And in order to understand the power of this affirmation at the end of prayers we need to listen carefully to the preceding words.

Philippians 4:20: “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (NIV).
Notice that he does not pray in a selfish way, nor does he seek benefits for his own. Paul’s prayers ending on Amen are not prayers for more money, a newer car, or even an easy and more secure life. No, his prayers are prayers for God’s glorification and the spreading of the Gospel. These are the things that apostle Paul gives his affirmation to.
So, as you pray, instead of Amen, finish with “So let it be!” and you will see yourself the difference. When the use of the word is so automatic as it has become today, it not only loses its meaning, but the words spoken before that can so easily be influenced by the world around us. You can avoid the selfish and wrong prayer as you continually remind yourself of the meaning of Amen. Also, pay careful attention to the fact that God will most likely not give His affirmation to the majority of things from this world that we often desire to pray for.

An Amen at the end of the prayer is also an indicator of your faith. Finishing your prayers with Amen hoping that by some magical and mystical way it will make your wishes come true will not get you far. Yet, praying in God’s will with faith that He alone is the one able to do all things and for Him there is nothing impossible… Then you will see the power of the words “So let it be!” These are not words of doubt or desperation, but words of hope and faith. And namely this is what God desires for your life to have – a sincere hope and faith in Him.
An example for such faith you can find in 1 Peter 5:10-11: “And the god of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen” (NIV).
Just a verse earlier Peter is warning about the evil plans of the devil, but his hope for the believers is just as great as his faith in God. Because of this, while knowing that it will be so difficult, he can pray powerfully for you and for me.

So, do you pray properly and with faith? As surprising as it might sound, the answer to this question you will find in the last word of your prayers – Amen.

This is the way in which Paul prayed for the brothers and sisters from the church in Ephesus. Today, for some it may be surprising that this prayer does not include, say, a petition for a larger home for the church, more income from offerings and tithe, or even those prayers by name for the ones from the church who are sick or have other urgent material needs. On the other hand, apostle Paul may be well surprised at the prayers we say when lifting up our brothers and sisters before the Lord. What is different about Paul’s prayer? How can we also pray in a similar way, and why is it even important to pray in this way? Read along for more information answering these questions.

If you listen carefully to your words when you pray for other Christians you will most likely notice that often (if not always) the physical and material needs occupy the first place in your prayer. Then comes the church building or the like, and only towards the end you happen to quickly mention the spiritual needs of your brothers and sisters. But that’s only if you get that far. Often the material and physical needs are so many that there is hardly any time left to pray for the spiritual condition of our family in the Lord Jesus. There is no doubt that the needs for healing and material provision are important, but what we should learn from Paul is that they are not more important than our relationship with God (or our brother or sister’s relationship with Him). This is why Paul begins his prayer namely with these needs – the spiritual ones… and in this particular case he only addresses them directly. This is how God remains in the center of the prayer.

But what exactly does Paul pray about? Firstly, he prays that according to God’s glorious riches and His Holy Spirit the believers might be strengthened. This is, that God will give them endless strength (for his riches are endless), so that they can continue to grow in their faith and at the same time sustain the pressure of the society against them, the persecutions they will face, as well as the attacks of Satan. For through God’s strength alone we can grow in faith and devote our lives to Him more and more.

Apostle Paul continues by praying that the Ephesians will remain rooted in the love of Christ and together will all other believers will grasp how immense this love is – the love with which Christ loved us. By this way alone today we could overcome the divisions and hatred among believers. But if we continue to pray only for financial or similar needs then we have given up on Christ’s love. Moreover, we are not anymore rooted in that love. In other words – we live our lives not driven by love… and we turn to God only to ensure that He provides us with a comfortable life.

At the end of his prayer the apostle finishes not with a word or two about the spiritual condition of the Ephesians, but with a praise to God, who notice – can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. The end of this prayer is at the same time a declaration of how much God can do when the Holy Spirit is at work in us. Without His Spirit we would also not be able to either know what to pray for, nor how to do it. As for the reach of God’s abilities – you yourself can surely testify of times when God has provided you with what you’ve needed already before you’ve prayed for it. Sometimes we just need to be more patient with our physical and material needs and through this show that we are fully dependent on God and also that we have surrendered our lives to Him entirely. But not on the larger building or the quick healing of the broken arm, so that we can go back to work as soon as possible.

This is the way we ought to pray not only for our brothers and sisters, but also for ourselves. Only then will we be able to keep God at the very center of our lives and become witnesses of His love and power before all other people.

From our previous studies on different passages on prayer we know that prayer is not only personal, but also communal. It also ought not to be focused on our own will, but on God’s will instead. In the letter to the Colossians you will find the verses quoted above, which teach us even more about praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus… or in other words – how to pray for one another.

The first important lesson comes from verse 4. Apostle Paul and Timothy do pray for the believers from Colossae, but not because they are best friends or have some other type of a special relationship. As a matter of fact, Paul isn’t even the founder of this church. They two pray for these believers simply because they are their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today the case seems to be different. In a time when there is more Christians than ever before, and communications are made easier by the hour, it seems that more and more people are in need of something extra in order to pray for their fellow-believers – whether we admit this or not, it is a fact that we can easily do much better. And God’s word teaches us precisely this! Do you pray continually for believers who are not from your vicinity? If not – what is preventing you from doing so, and what can you do to overcome it?

The second lesson from the passage can be summarized in this phrase: have not stopped. In previous devotionals we have seen that continuous prayer is important, but how much more important it is to pray so when it is about brothers and sisters, most of whom live lives far harder than yours and mine! Next time when you pray – remember the Christians who do not have the luxury of worshipping in public because they will be killed if they do so. Or think of the ones who daily face death – their children’s or relatives’ due to malnutrition. Do not forget also your brothers and sisters who are expelled from their families because they have chosen to be part of God’s family, the same you are a part of. Begin to regularly pray for these people, who although far in distance are your closest ones in what matters most – faith.

The next important issue which this passage addresses is the one of “How do I pray for these people that I don’t know?” The easiest to do is to simply follow Paul’s prayer for them. Pray that the Christians will know God’s will and be filled with His wisdom and spiritual understanding. And just as me and you, all other believers need these things in order to live a life worthy of God’s calling. Moreover, knowing God’s will and having spiritual understanding is far more important than any physical healing or material provision.

For the persecuted ones – pray that God’s Holy Spirit will fill them with boldness and courage for sharing their faith. Pray also for God’s protection.

For the Christians who live in misery and poverty and are threatened by all kinds of diseases daily – pray that God will send to them fellow-believers who have the necessary resources to help them and that the latter will serve persistently and in love. Pray also for God’s supernatural provisions – for He is a great and mighty God who doesn’t know what “impossible” means. Pray for protection from natural disasters as well.

For the believers who are young in their faith – pray that God will send helpers who will encourage them and up build them, and will also embrace them with love.

Pray that God will reveal to you through His Holy Spirit for whom and how to pray daily. Pray for His help so that your prayers may be persistent.

Should you need help – send us a message and we will do our best to answer your questions and send you some guidelines for finding more information on the topic in the Bible.

Now you are probably asking yourself “But what can this book teach me on prayer?” At first glance soma may say “Little!” A careful reading of the text, however, will reveal to you that nearly half of the time of the story Jonah spends in prayer or talking to God. The second and fourth chapters of the book describe two prayers which are very important to learn from, and at the same time – very different from each other.

Jonah’s first prayer from chapter 2 is filled with praise and thanksgiving to God. It is a prayer which is honest and recognizes God’s might – a prayer that would encourage you and me in difficult times. And, perhaps, if now you are not finding yourself close to God then you probably wish you could have Jonah’s faith so that you can pray in such a way. This prayer is also the praises of a man who has survived because of God’s grace and will alone.

The second prayer, the one from chapter 4 of the book is very different. This prayer is not lifted up to God after a miraculous survival, but after “Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry” (Jonah 4:1, NIV). And what he was displeased and angry about was God’s intervention. This conversation between Jonah and God is actually a superficial attempt to pray. In comparison to the first prayer this one is so much shorter, without any adoration, thanksgiving or praise. This time the prophet does not recognize God’s intervention – he is just displeased and very angry because God has not done what Jonah wanted. And this anger must have been so strong that Jonah did not want to live any longer, which in itself is a very strong contrast to the first prayer where he was thanking God for saving his life.

Now you’re asking “Ok, so what’s the lesson?” The answer of this question lays in the comparison between Jonah and you. Most Christians turn to God when in need or wanting something. For most of us, also, the following statement is true: It is much easier to ask and receive things than it is for us to fulfill our promises and sacrifice for the sake of others. Unfortunately, such an attitude easil becomes a part of our prayers. When we are in a tough situation or need something – we pray honestly, with faith and with hope… And in most cases we do remember to thank God for all he has given us and done for us – hoping that this will also help us to have more faith about the current situation. There actually isn’t much wrong in all of that. After all, Jesus himself said “Ask and it will be given to you… for everyone who asks receives” (Matthew 7:7,8, NIV). Yet, this is far from the complete Gospel, it’s complete teaching. This isn’t describing quite fully all which Jesus lived out for us to take as an example. Jesus also sacrificed himself so that all people (including these who hate him!) might have access to God’s salvation should they choose it. His Word is also constantly teaching us to not stop giving…

Very often God will place people and situations on our way for whom we ought to sacrifice from what we already have. For some this means giving up financial or other material resources, while for others it concerns pride, selfishness, envy. Often God wold also place in our hearts a prayer for those whom we call “our enemies.” Even in His Word to us he teaches us to love those who hate us (Matthew 5:43-48). Unfortunately, often this call for prayer and action is neglected. Sometimes because of pure hard-headedness, other times because of our own unwillingness to forgive the ones who hurt us. Yet, neither of us has ever had a case of not praying for someone out of love.

So, what is the result of the comparison of you with Jonah? How do you pray when you are in need? Even more important, how do you pray when you see that God’s will is the exact opposite of your own? What do you do when God calls you to help the people whom you actually despise? The lesson one can learn from Jonah’s story is that God will not abandon the people around you just because you don’t find them worthy of His grace for one reason or another. At the same time, your own hard-headedness against God’s will cannot lead you to any better that it did for Jonah – “for it is better for me to die than to live” (Jonah 4:3, NIV).

Do not just pass by God’s Word for you! Maybe before you go on to your regular prayer, next time you ought to first pray that He may help you to pray according to His will, honestly and out of love for all people… Do not let anger lead you just as Jonah did!

Besides the thanksgiving Paul also writes about how he (and often the others who are with him) is praying for the recipients of the letter. It is namely this part of the letters that we ought to pay special attention should we want to pray for other Christians – from our own church, but also for believers from far and beyond our area.

Philippians 1:6-11 continues: “… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” (NIV)

One can learn several important truths about prayer for the other believers – our family in Christ. As you go on, open your heart and mind for God’s Spirit who will help you to apply in your daily living a similar attitude towards all Christians. The Spirit will also help you to pray sincerely for them, so that your prayers will be pleasing to God.

The first truth is simple to recognize – we must pray for other Christians – not only for those from your own country, but also for Christians from throughout the globe. Just as apostle Paul wasn’t satisfied with prayer for the church of one city alone, so should we also have a broader view over God’s body of believers. Daily set aside time for prayer for the believers who are not closely around you – pray for other churches from your town; pray for all churches from your own country; pray for the needs of Christians outside your country.

As you pray for the brothers and sisters in the faith do not pray with some artificial general prayer. Pray sincerely and for specific needs instead. If you do not know what the current needs of those believers are – use Paul’s prayer from Philippians 1:9-11.

Do not forget also to thank God for the Christians that you are praying for. Very often we take the presence of other Christians for granted. This is a serious mistake. My life, as well as yours has been strongly impacted by the lives of those whom we take for granted. Without them our lives would look very different. In addition, one’s faith in God is best expressed among other believers. Praying for these others will encourage you and will open a way for God’s Spirit to plant more and more love for them in you.

Your sincere prayer for the believers will not only lead to unity in God’s body – which is how God wants to see us, but will also fill your life with a daily portion of joy for the fact that God is at work in the lives of so many people… People, that we tend to forget about in the most difficult times. Pray for the saints as you are praying for yourself!

Matthew 6:5-8, NIV: And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Maybe this is a well known passage for you, but maybe not. Either way, you can learn at least two basic principles from it, which will lead you in prayer:

1.Your prayer must not be tampered or spiced up. On the contrary – it ought to come directly from the depths of your heart and mind. Your prayer must be sincere, honest, authentic. Jesus gives a very good example of a tampered prayer – the one of the hypocrites. They are the Pharisees and other religious leaders from the time who worked hard to get to be in a busy public place at the time in which the daily prayers were to be said. They did this so that they will be noticed by everyone else and thus receive the praise and amazement of the people for their, actually, faked belief and devotion to God. Jesus couldn’t possibly be more precise in his words on that – they have received their reward, which is only this which they looked for – a few minutes of fame and glory before the people. This is why our prayers must not be like these of the hypocrites.
When you pray with your whole heart and mind, truly and sincerely, then you will not be tempted to think of what’s in the head of those around you concerning they way you pray or what you are praying for. On the other hand, it will be much easier for you to pray in this way when there are no other people around to make noise, disturb your attention, or to make you feel watched for the language mistakes you’ll make while praying.
When Jesus teaches us to lock ourselves up in our quiet room, He’s actually teaching us to pray at a place where it is quiet, so that we can turn all our attention to God. This, of course, doesn’t mean that we must never pray in public, when it’s noisy, or when it’s busy… Yet, we ought to always seek time for prayer in quiet.
Where is your quiet place? Do you switch your phone off when you pray? Do you always have to listen to music while praying? You are capable of securing a quiet place at least once each day – begin today!

2.God has not obliged you to pray eloquently or with well selected words. But He wants you to pray in such a way, so that you will realize more and more your complete dependency on Him. For us it might be impressive when someone prays with well chosen language, but it couldn’t matter less to God. Don’t waste your time in choosing the right words – they won’t make your prayer more effective. Moreover – God doesn’t actually need our prayers, so that He will know how we’re doing and what we are in need of. God knows even this which is in secret!
Our prayers, however, remind us in a very intimate way of our dependency upon God – that we are entirely and wholly dependable on Him. In the moment you realize this dependency it will be so much easier for you to leave what’s God’s job in His hands, and take the responsibility for what you ought to do. And then there will not be any barriers for God’s peace to embrace you completely.

If it is necessary – write yourself a note and place it before your sight, or do whatever else it might take, and be constantly reminded to regularly pray in your quiet room, and to pray with the words of your heart, but not as if you’re performing before an audience.

Philippians 1:3-5: I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…

Philippians 4:4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:15-17: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Paul’s message to the Philippians is well known as the one filled with joy. The word joy itself appears 14 times – more than in any other letter of Paul. This is pretty much enough to get the point that he has joy… and for this joy to be encouraging to us. However, how much stronger is this message once we know that Paul is writing it from a prison, knowing that the physical death itself isn’t too far away from him! This is why one can say that joy is not a mere feeling (because feelings depend and are highly influenced by the surrounding environment), but it is an attitude, a mindset (which depend on our faith and values).

From apostle Paul we can also learn something about being thankful for the people around us. Nearly all letters of his begin with thanksgiving for the people he is writing to, as well as words of joy because they have believed in God and have answered His calling. This is a testimony for Paul’s love for those he is writing to. It’s obvsious that his letters contain a significant amount of directions and corrections concerning the behaviour of the people, but in spite of this he always begins by giving thanks and expressing his joy. When we prayer we don’t always know each other in person, nor do we know about each other’s mistakes in life. But as we pray for our needs let us always begin by giving thanks and be filled with joy because one (or more) has chosen to trust God by lifting up their need and also sharing it with the other believers. And may this thanksgiving and joy lead us towards unity in Jesus’ name – no matter how different we are from each other.

Thanksgiving is also in the foundations of the passage from the letter to the Colossians that we began with. This passage is a part of the conclusion of the letter in which the apostle is giving directions to his brothers and sisters from Colosae, as well as to us. He is giving directions for holy living – living which is in accordance with God’s will. It is not surprising that thanksgiving and joy also appear here. This time the stress is upon our response to God’s work in our lives. When we are filled with thanksgiving for God’s work we can remain focused on what does matter – namely, our relationship with God. Should we choose the other option – to not be continually reminded of God’s blessings, His salvation, His daily care and protection… Then it becomes much easier to turn all our attention towards the things we don’t have – be it money, cars, job positions, friends… And Satan is not going to give it a second thought, but will use this to pull us astray from God. This is why it is important to always pay close attention to the things we ought to be thankful for. And then, Paul says, God’s peace, which surpasses all human understanding will guide our hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus.

So, as you are sharing your request do not hesitate to share what you are thankful for. Let’s share with each other prayers of thanksgiving more often, so that we can also encourage each other. In the coming days – think about the things you’re thankful for and share with someone a prayer of thanksgiving, or a testimony of how God has touched your life.

And whatever we do, whether in word or deed, let us do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

As you pray for whatever need – before all, give praise and thanks to God; pray for His will; lift up your need; and remain true to God’s call for holiness by obeying His will alone.