God's Platinum Card of Prayer

"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."
 —Matthew 21:22

Prayer is a powerful tool and weapon that God has given us. And it’s even more amazing that we have this great Creator God of the universe willing to give us what we ask. I can’t begin to understand why God would give us anything, but in one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith, He does desire to do just that.

Prayer, in some respects, is a bit like being Bill Gates’ child and having him give us his credit card. We can take the card and get whatever we want, because he has all the credit in the world. But we can only get what he says is okay. It’s almost as if we have the card, but he is standing right there along with us. We point to what we want and he says either “yes” or “no.” We can get whatever He delights in us having.

God desires to do much more than any earthly father could give us, Bill Gates or otherwise. As the Scripture says,  

“Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”—Matthew 7:9-11.

This does not mean that we can “name it and claim it” as some erroneous and heretical teachers would have us believe. It’s not that we pray for “our best life now” either. It means that we ask of God and He is willing to answer us because of the credit of Jesus Christ. God supplies our needs because of Jesus Christ, or as Paul says in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Christ is the one who has made God the Father available to hear our prayers. It’s because of Him and what He has done that God the Father hears and answers our prayers.

When we come to know Christ, God gives us His “credit card” in prayer. He is ready and willing to give us whatever we ask. But, when we ask, we must ask with the proper motives, and in Christ’s name (John 14:13, 15:16, 16:23). It is only in Christ’s name that we can approach God and ask anything. It is because of what Christ has done that God the Father allows us into His presence and hears our prayer.

God wants us to use His platinum card because when we use His card, He gets glory points—much like using a credit card, where we get points back for using it. So does God get glory points for answering us in prayer. And when we ask, we must be prepared to receive—that’s what faith is. Faith is the belief or trust that God will do what we ask—and that means receiving whatever He desires to give.

Are we ready to use this powerful resource at our disposal? Or do we shy away because we really don’t believe that He is ready and willing to answer us when we pray? God will answer when we use His platinum card of prayer, and He will answer in such a way that He will receive glory because of it. May we use it frequently and rightly, knowing that He will do as He has promised. Amen.