05 Nov IHOP (International House of Prayer) I Heard You the First Time! Part 2

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Last week we began discussing that, in prayer, there are two primary things:

  1. The thing you are praying about
  2. The title that gives you ownership

This week, let’s continue…

Please allow me to give you “Three Common Mis-perceptions Concerning Answered Prayer”:

  1. Quantity is what determines answered prayer (Matt. 6:7).

Here the Bible tells us, “But when you pray use not vain repetitions as the heathen do for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”  In other words, a common mis-perception is that God hears and answers prayer based on the quantity of your prayers.  Please don’t get me wrong, there are times when quantity is good:

  • When you are simply seeking God
  • When you are giving praise and worship to God
  • When you are interceding for another
  • Corporate prayers
  • Simply fellowshipping with God

However, think about how Jesus prayed:

  1. “Peace be still” (see Mark 4:37-41)
  2. “Lazarus come forth” (see John 11:1-43)
  3. “I will, be thou clean” (see Mark 1:40-45)

Now, I recognize these are commands but the principle still holds true…length is not the issue, faith is!  Here is where I may step on some toes and knock over a “holy cow” (holy cows are “udderly” ridiculous and must “moooove”…sorry, I could not help myself).  Not only will the quantity of the length of the prayer not get your prayers answered, but the quantity of the people praying will not get your prayers answered!

Wouldn’t it be awful if my son Johnathan had to gather all the kids in the neighborhood to ring my doorbell with him.  When I answered they all simultaneously asked, “Can John have a cookie?”  Wouldn’t that be another ridiculous scenario?  Unfortunately we do this all the time when we call the prayer chain or Grandma’s church or the 700 Club or Oral Roberts Prayer Tower!  Again, please don’t mistake me.  There is nothing wrong with the prayer chain, grandma’s church, the 700 Club or Oral Roberts Prayer Tower unless it is a substitute for you believing the Word of God for yourself!  Again, there is certainly a time for corporate prayer (see Acts 12) but just because a lot of people are praying does not mean they are praying in faith.

As a pastor, people ask me to pray for things all the time, which I am glad to do.  But I can tell almost right away when they have more confidence in my prayer than their own.  That tells me immediately that they have faith in my prayers but not faith in God’s Word!

So many times people think, “I’m just one puny little voice.  If I can get a lot of voices then maybe, just maybe God will hear me.”  That’s like buying lots and lots of lotto tickets because it increases my chances of winning.  “Maybe I’ll hit the prayer jackpot!”  Jesus told us, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you can ask what you will and it will be done unto you” (John 15:7).  Remember this, don’t have faith in prayer.  Don’t have faith in my prayer.  Don’t have faith in lots of people’s prayers.  Have faith in God’s Word in prayer!

Next week we will continue our series on IHOP… “I Heard You the First Time!”