Sermon . Weak Faith – Strong Faith
Isaiah 1:17–19; John 1:1–5; Colossians 1:15–17
O Lord, who is the same yesterday, today,
and forever! As You caused to be written in the Holy Scriptures, we have come
to know through the history of the saints that You are the One who listens to
the prayers of mere human beings like us. Today, through the meditation of Your
Word, grant us the discerning wisdom to understand how we ought to pray in Your
holy presence. We ask this in the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.
We know from God’s Word and its detailed
accounts that God listens to all prayers and fulfills them. However, in our
actual experience, the results often appear different. Based on experience, it
sometimes feels as though God does not hear many prayers. Between these two
realities—the Scripture’s declaration and personal experience—believers are
being crushed. While Scripture says all prayers are answered, the experience
often suggests otherwise. Some in the world ask: "If God hears prayer,
then why are some not answered?" This confusion often stems from a lack of
understanding of God’s Word, or improper listening and interpretation, leading
to much spiritual struggle and confusion. This is a very serious matter.
For instance, consider something that
happened yesterday. A young girl had been sick for 2 or 3 years. The people
here comforted and encouraged her, and according to their prayers, she is now
living. When someone declares, “You shall not die,” based on the Word of God,
one may ask—was that teaching true? Is the Word true? Or is experience the
truth? When such questions arise, believers begin to waver. At such a moment,
Satan comes and accuses: “What has become of your Bible? What of your
teachings? What of your prayers?” When these thoughts enter, the resolution you
made based on God’s Word begins to collapse. At that point, the believer starts
thinking, “My experience is more real than Scripture.” Thus, the believer is
caught between conflicting voices.
A sick person prays. The entire church
prays for him. But when there is no visible result or immediate answer, some
mockingly ask, “Were all these prayers in vain?” From one side, the unbeliever
attacks, and from the other, the devil accuses, crushing the believer in the
middle. If an unbeliever comes and asks, “What happened to your prayers?”, the
believer has no answer. This is how the believer is being crushed.
But examine what your resolution
contains: it includes teaching, biblical exposition, prayer, and testimony.
So, what is the core of the matter? Your decision must consist of two key parts:
1. Before you pray, purify your heart.
2. Then, pour out all your soul’s desires and pain—not
according to your own will, but in tears before the Lord.
3. After that, pray saying, “Father! Let Your will be done.” Your
heart must bow before God, saying, “I have told You what is in my heart, now
You fulfill what is in Yours.”
Such a person, after praying like this,
will have great peace and joy in their heart. A mature believer comes out of
the prayer room with the joy and assurance: “I have said everything I had to
say before my Father.” This is what is called mature
faith.
On the other hand, the weak believer says, “I cannot accept God’s
will.” This is the difference between weak faith and mature faith.
The Prayer of Two Wills
Jesus Christ, while praying in the Garden
of Gethsemane, revealed two parts in His prayer:
1. "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from
me."
2. "Yet not my will, but Yours be done."
Though He spoke as one with weak human
emotion, He demonstrated mature and perfect faith by surrendering to the
Father's will. He had both aspects within Him. It is because He, though
appearing weak, became strong in submission that He made a true and lasting
covenant. A believer often finds himself crushed between two opposing
realities: between his own will and God's will; between the accuser Satan and
the holy God. He is squeezed between two decisions. But a mature believer does not get crushed—he leans
on God and presses forward, despite inner conflict.
Now, when a believer is caught between
these two authorities—his desire and God's will—his true color is revealed. If a believer prays
and the prayer does not seem to be fulfilled as expected, and he becomes
distressed between the voices of the devil and unbelievers, his response will
show the nature of his faith. At such a time, he must declare, "God's will has been done." This
declaration removes any opportunity for Satan to accuse. The believer must say,
"My will has not been fulfilled, but
my Father's will has been fulfilled. Therefore, I rejoice."
There is one “color” (state) in the prayer
room. There is another in the conflict between two wills. And there is yet
another when all is fulfilled. After Jesus’ Gethsemane prayer, the enemies came
to seize Him. In the same way, after the believer prays this kind of
surrendering prayer, challenges may come. At such times, the believer must ask:
“What must be in the heart to say, ‘Father, Your will be done’?”
Three things must enter the believer’s
heart:
1. Obedience – a surrendered willingness to follow
God’s will.
2. A sense of completion – the joy of
knowing “I have finished my prayer; I have submitted to His will; I have
fulfilled my duty.”
3. A later realization – “My prayer has now been answered. God
has fulfilled His will in time.”
Whoever has these three in their heart is
a true believer whose prayer “Thy will be done” is
complete.
To the devil and the unbeliever, this
believer must boldly say: “My will was not done. My Father's will
became my will. Therefore, I can say it was my will too, and I have victory.”
In this, Satan is defeated. A believer should never
grow discouraged.
There are two wills:
1. My will
2. God's will.
My will has limited knowledge. God's will
has infinite wisdom. Man’s
knowledge is limited—like seeing only a tree’s roots within 10 miles. But God’s
knowledge sees the entire span of a man’s life and everything that comes his
way. That mystery is not known to us, but it is known to God. That’s why God
sometimes does not fulfill the first request, but instead grants the second, better request.
Man has two spiritual gifts:
1. The gift of faith,
2. The gift of vision (discernment or
revelation).
Both are gifts of power. The gift of vision can
perceive what is coming. The gift of faith believes
even when it does not see.
When the believer prays with faith, he
senses what is coming. Sometimes, the Lord reveals it in advance, and sometimes
He reveals it after the fulfillment. If healing does not come, and the believer
later learns that the person was prepared for heavenly glory, that becomes the healing of the soul. Thus, one will gives way
to another will, and a new prayer is born out of the old one. Once the vision
reveals what’s to come, the believer prays: “Lord, give me strength to endure.
Prepare me for Your glory.”
Even if the gift of vision is absent, faith still
operates. Hezekiah is an example.
Death was decreed for him. But after a second prayer, a vision revealed that 15 more years were added to his life. The
believer believed—and it was fulfilled.
May the Bridegroom
Lord grant you the full measure of faith and vision.
Amen.
— Father Devadasu Ayyagaru, Sermon at Rajahmundry, 10th June 1945
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