How Do I Pray For a Miracle?

When we are faced with a great need, either for ourselves or others, we should begin by humbly seeking to know what God's will is in the matter (see 1 John 5:14-15Close1 John 5:14-15 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) , Romans 12:1-2CloseRomans 12:1-2 And so, dear brothers and sisters,* I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.* Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) , Romans 8:26-27CloseRomans 8:26-27 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers* in harmony with God's own will. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). "Father, what do You want to do in this situation?" Jesus said, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working" (John 5:17CloseJohn 5:17 So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). He listened to the voice of the Father, and He watched Him. Be careful not to start or end a prayer by saying blindly, "If it be Thy will." Rather, you should seek to know God's will in the situation and then to base your prayer upon it. Say, "Father, in advance, tell me what Your will is and what You are doing." Then you can ask Him to perform the miracle that you know He wants to bring about.

Most people ask God for a miracle, but many omit a key requirement--the spoken word. God has given us authority over disease, demons, sickness, storms, and finances (see Matthew 10:1CloseMatthew 10:1 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil* spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) , Luke 10:19CloseLuke 10:19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). We continue to ask God to act, when, in fact, He has given us the authority to act with divinely empowered speech. We are to declare that authority in Jesus' name. We are to command the money to come to us, command the storm to be stilled, command the demon to come out, command the leg to grow, command the cancer to leave.

Jesus said, "Whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says'" (Mark 11:23CloseMark 11:23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, `May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). Believe in your heart that it has already happened! With the anointing of faith that God gives you, you speak it forth.

Excerpt taken from Answers to 200 of Life's Most Probing Questions, Copyright 1984 by Pat Robertson.