Are you a believer? More than just asking St. Anthony to find things, do you believe in the power of prayer? Do you ask God for what you need, even big things? Are you bold in your faith and confident in God’s power at work in you through faith? Yesterday’s gospel was the story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. It’s a powerful story of Jesus intervening in the life of his friend Lazarus and his family. Martha and Mary had sent for Jesus because Lazarus was ill. Jesus was a few days away and by the time he arrived Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days.
We see Martha’s great faith when she greeted Jesus and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” When Jesus ordered the stone covering the entrance to the tomb to be taken away, Martha said, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” But Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” Key to what he is about to do are these words “if you believe you will see the glory of God.”
So many times in life we “wish” for things but wishing is not praying. We think about God doing something great, but thinking is not praying or asking. Thinking about a miracle and wishing for God to intervene in some extraordinary way is not an act of faith. Asking, praying, pleading and entrusting a situation to the Lord is a true act of faith, a demonstration that we believe in the power of God, and that we have surrendered the person or situation to him. Praying with faith and confidence is what enables us to see the glory of God!
I’ve said in these reflections before that we often fail to ask, but the story of the raising of Lazarus, reminds us to get serious in the way we pray – with bold confidence that God will take care of it, in his own way and time, not ours. Once we place our urgent request in the hands of God, we then allow him to take it from there. The story of the raising of Lazarus can serve as a reminder to ask for whatever we need, even when it appears to be “too late.” The Lord is unlimited in what he can do to transform hopeless situations into miracles of faith. With Lazarus, it appears as though Jesus arrived too late. Yet, if we believe that Jesus is “the Lord and giver of life” then we shouldn’t hesitate to ask even for what appears to be impossible.
Praying with confidence stretches our faith. It demonstrates our belief in the power of God and calls upon our Lord to act in a way that deepens our ability to believe and trust him all the more. Believe me, when I found my passport almost immediately, I began to lean on St. Anthony only more confidently. How pleased our Lord must be when we stop trying to do things without his help and instead turn things over to him as our first recourse instead of our last resort. Praying with faith admits we are powerless. At the same time, it becomes an act of faith when we put it in God’s hands.
There are some who think miracles are just stories in the bible, that is, things that took place only while Jesus was here on earth. I know someone who once said, “I don’t ask for miracles because I don’t want to be disappointed.” I think that attitude is more prevalent than we might realize. To think or say this is the opposite of an act of faith. It is an act of doubt! It is out of fear that we don’t pray and ask rather than out of faith and confidence in the goodness of the Lord that causes us to ask, even for great things. Prayer isn’t prayer if it is not done in faith.
I think we should be praying over one another all the time – always asking God for his grace to bear fruit through our faith, even though most of us have not been raised this way. If, for example, after a conversation with someone about a recent diagnosis you received, they were to ask, “Can I pray over you?” What would be your response? Would that make you uncomfortable, or would you welcome their prayers? Or, since you believe in the goodness of the Lord, would you confidently ask a friend to pray over you for whatever grace you may need – for patience, greater confidence, deeper trust, or a strengthening of any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, e.g. Wisdom, Fortitude, Counsel, etc.?
I firmly believe that we don’t receive miracles and other tremendous blessings because we don’t ask, or we don’t ask in faith. The Lord knows the depths of our hearts. He knows what we need before we ask. However, blessings come by the demonstration of our faith in the asking. So, believe in miracles and ask for them. Ask with confidence and pray without ceasing. Let the Lord amaze you as he did Martha and Mary, and many of the Jews who had come to Mary and had seen what he had done and began to believe in him.
