Time for a checkup on your prayer life? I read a new description of prayer the other day: “Prayer is the highway that faith takes into the power of God.” Wow, that’s a fresh way of looking at prayer, isn’t it! But maybe we get hung-up on the question, “How much faith do I need?”

Fortunately, Jesus gave us the answer. Remember the story in Mark 9 and Matthew 17 about Jesus and the man whose son was seized by an evil spirit? The father pleaded with Jesus, “Take pity on us and help us.” Jesus replied, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Then it says, “Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” Whereupon Jesus commanded the evil spirit to leave and restored the boy to his grateful father.

Faith diluted with doubt—and still Jesus answered the father’s prayer. The story doesn’t end there. Later when talking with his disciples, Jesus explained, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed… nothing will be impossible for you.” A mustard seed? That was the smallest seed the farmers sowed in Israel at that time. If he had said we need faith the size of an eighteen-wheeler, it would be hopeless. But as we pray we need only to persist with the faith God has given us, small though it may be; that’s where we experience the grace of God.

So as you pray this year, be confident that your prayers are not a footpath, but a highway into the power of God. Pray on.

By CLB Prayer Team

The CLB Prayer Team. On-call to pray for requests from our family of churches. Send prayer requests by email to pray@prayclb.org.

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E-mail: pray@prayclb.org