Prayer for success, or how to succeed in prayer

The bible has examples of people who succeeded in learning how to say a prayer for success. Jesus was on this earth physically only for a brief time. His life was cut off when He was a little more than thirty three years of age, yet of all those years, only three were spent in preaching, healing and working signs and miracles. During His ministry, Jesus encountered many people who came to Him seeking deliverance from illness, demonic possession, guilt and even death of a beloved one.

Faith and prayer for success

We could say that of the thousands who came in contact with Jesus, only a few succeeded in profiting from His riches in glory while the rest insisted on their obstinate incredulity and pride. Those who searched for help found out that Jesus is always true to His promises. I will not send away anyone who comes to me so that the word of Isaiah the prophet might come true: He himself took our pains and our diseases. These people who trusted in Jesus and sought help from Him were rewarded with the granting of their requests. Nevertheless, there is one instance of apparent disregard for the needy in which Jesus seems to turn down a woman outside the wandering sheep of the house of Israel.

The woman of Canaan and her prayer for success

This woman is presented anonymously just as a woman of Canaan. She comes to Jesus begging for her daughter to be delivered from an evil spirit. Jesus at first pays no attention to her but this attitude does not discourage her; instead, she pleads all the more for an answer to her request. The disciples urge Jesus to send her away, and Jesus says, quite surprisingly, that He is only to mind the people from the house of Israel. What could she have done on hearing this? She couldve said something like: Oh well, He is definitely worried only about His own people, theres no hope for a stranger. Ill just have to go on living with this problem.

Thats a logical reaction to the words that Jesus addressed to His disciples regarding her, but this woman didnt give up without a fight. Your prayer for success should take that into account.

She may be an outsider, cut off from any part in Israels rights as a nation, having no part in Gods agreement, having no hope, and without God in the world but she had faith. She had a real need and she knew that Jesus had power to free her daughter from the clutches of the devil. She was no Israelite, but neither was Jacob when he fought with the angel saying I wont let you go till you bless me! Jesus is still adamant in His refusal, saying It is not right to take the childrens bread and give it to the dogs but she is humble enough to recognise her dependence on Gods blessings, even if they are to be bestowed only by means of the mediation of Gods chosen people: Yes, Lord: but even the dogs take the bits from under their masters table.

Jesus honours a faith like that, so she is granted her petition. She had the right attitude when she made her appeal, she persevered to the end. She succeeded in prayer because she prayed like the widow in the parable, who although confronted with a Judge, who had no fear of God or respect for man fought for her case and didnt faint. Her faith made her prayer, a prayer for success. So must our prayers be, and only success will be awarded to the man or woman who knows not only how to say a prayer for success, but has enough faith to succeed in praying.