Prayer can take the form of a confession that takes hold of what God has made available. Too many have reduced prayer to spiritual groveling, as if God must be coaxed into generosity or persuaded by persistent sorrow. But prayer is not effective because of self-humbling gestures or religious tones. It is effective because of faith. Prayer is effective when it expresses certainty, when it dares to act like God’s word is true, and treats God like he is faithful. This is what he expects of us. We pray because God has spoken. We pray with confidence because we know we can have what we want.
Religious people mock the prayer of faith as “name it and claim it.” They wish to make it sound crude and simplistic. But even this attempt to discredit prayer carries more truth than the Faithless can handle. For this reason, we ought to bend it to our purpose to increase the offense, and to shut out the Faithless from the riches of God. Name it and claim it is exactly right. If you decide you want something, name it and claim it. Confess it as your own. Say it confidently in prayer and receive it. People mock it for the same reason they mock healing, miracles, and tongues. It is because they do not believe God, and they hate those who do.
Faith confessions are a biblical form of prayer. The idea of speaking what you believe and commanding your desire is central to Scripture. Jesus himself prayed this way. When he cursed the fig tree, he spoke directly to it instead of offering a petition to heaven. When he raised Lazarus, he commanded the dead to come out instead of begging the Father for a miracle. He taught us to do the same. When he told his disciples to move mountains by faith, he told them to speak to it instead of asking God to do it. This is the form of prayer that unnerves faithless religious people. It expresses too much confidence. They prefer to linger in ambiguity and self-pity. But Jesus taught us to pray with certainty. When the critics say this is heretical, they speak from their unbelief.
God condemns the one who questions him, not the one who believes him. When Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, God did not regard it as insolence, but he fulfilled Joshua’s words. The words themselves did not cause the miracle, but it happened because God honors faith, and faith knows how to speak. Moses once cried out to God at the edge of the Red Sea, unsure of what to do. But God said, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people to go forward.” God demanded the initiative of faith, not worthless tears. He did not want another round of passive petition. He wanted confidence and action from his people.
Most people would rather submit endless requests than take responsibility. They would rather submit to circumstances than admit that God has granted their desires. Faith confessions are a sign of maturity. They show that a man prays as a son, not a beggar. He receives from God instead of trying to persuade him again and again. This is faith and obedience, not presumption. Faith regards the promises of God as settled facts and speaks accordingly.
This is not the only way to pray, but it lines up with the kind of confidence and expectation that knows what you want will indeed happen. Petition is also valid, but even then you must do it with the same sense of certainty. Faithless requests do not become spiritual just because they sound humble. God is not impressed by your self-deprecation. He is pleased when his children know what they want and ask accordingly. He honors faith when it dares to speak. He expects confidence from those who believe his word.