There are two sources of energy for living life: the energy of the flesh and the Spirit, with a capital "S" denoting the Spirit of God. Paul stated these two in Galatians 5:16, 'But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." The Christian life is meant to be lived in the Spirit, which can only be accomplished through God's Word and prayer. Attending a service and hearing preaching is a poor substitute.
Prayer and Perception In The Life Of Christ
According to John 1:1, God became a man and behaved as men were always meant to live. God is the source of everything, and men must live accordingly. People can depend on themselves for all they need or on God. Jesus did the latter. "But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray." (Luke 5:16)
In the following accounts, each person had their conception of who Jesus was and what He could do.
I. Prayer And Perception In A Leper (Matthew 8:2-3)
"And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." In Mark 1, we are told, "And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, and He said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone..." We are told the leper's response to Jesus' stern warning was, "But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around;"
We know the cured leper was disobedient to Christ. The leper called Jesus Lord or Master but did not act toward Him as if he believed He was. A person who spends time with God receives from God the discernment and ability necessary to act in accord with His will and that of a Divine Person. This leper understood Jesus' abilities, but he questioned Jesus' willingness. Jesus showed compassion to people who did not deserve it, but that's always the case. It is pointless to pat ourselves on the back for receiving good things from God.
II. Prayer And Perception In A Centurion (Matthew 8:5-13)
A Roman Centurion or commander of one hundred soldiers implored the Lord for his servant to be healed. Upon Jesus telling him that He would come to his house and heal him, the Cenurion responded with a perception of himself when compared to Jesus. "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof..." He then explained his understanding of authority, his perception of Jesus' authority, and his unworthiness to be in Jesus' presence. Jesus responded, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel." The centurion's faith was built upon his perception that Jesus of Nazareth had ultimate authority, reflecting his attitude. This perception is what Jesus called "Great Faith."
III. Prayer And Perception Of A Father For His Son (Matthew.8:14-29)
When asked by Jesus about a crowd discussion in Matthew 8:14-29, "And one of the crowd answered Him, "Teacher, I brought You, my son, possessed with a spirit ...I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it." Jesus responded, "O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!" The sad reality in every generation is unbelief. After further discussion, the father said to Jesus, "But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" Jesus responded, "If You can?" and revealed the father's unbelief in Jesus' abilities with a question. Then Jesus stated the extent of what prayer can provide. "All things are possible to him who believes." "All things" was not just something to say; Jesus meant what He said. The question is, do we believe? In response to Jesus' indictment of the father's unbelief, we read, "Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief." The story concludes with Jesus telling His disciples why they could not cast out the demon, "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer."
What we should take from this story is that prayer provides the power of God. We can assume we have God in our hearts, and we may, but without sufficient prayer, He will not be the power source in our life. In Matthew 17, a similar incident between a father and son is recorded. In response to the disciples still asking why they could not cast out the demon, Jesus said, "Because of the littleness of your faith." But with faith the size of a mustard seed, "nothing will be impossible to you." And lastly, "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." Supplication is an intense prayer; it's more than just saying words.
IV. The Prayer and Perception Of A Blind Man (John 9)
Jesus healed a man born blind from birth. A controversy arose among the people about who he was because such a thing never happened before. The chief priests got involved and asked his parents, who confirmed the man was his son but would not say Jesus healed him for fear of being put out of the temple. The blind man defended Jesus, having never seen him because Jesus "spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam." The controversy concluded when the blind man said, "If this man were not from God, He could do nothing." They (the religious leaders) answered him, "You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?" So they put him out." Out of the temple, that is.
Jesus and the blind man's interactions conclude, "Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you." And he said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped Him." It's a strange ending; not having seen Jesus, the one speaking to him could have been lying. Yet, before confirming it was him, the man no longer blind called Jesus Lord. This man not only called Jesus Lord, but he behaved in accordance. Jesus stated two things: first, He was the Son of Man, the Old Testament designation for the Messiah, Savior. Second, He was Jesus, the one who gave him his sight, and by defending Jesus, he was put out of the temple, which would cause him much trouble.
If through prayer and perception God becomes our power source, why not pray and believe God will answer?
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