Let It Be Done According to Your Faith: How Faith Shapes God’s Response
There are people who carry the burdens of life alone. Believing no one else can bear them, they endure silently and press on. But the Christian is not alone in this journey. They are the ones who lay their heavy burdens before the Lord and lift up faith in their place.
Scripture defines faith this way: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). It is trusting in the invisible God and living as though what has not yet happened has already been fulfilled. This kind of life is called a testimony of the ancients. Such faith is the beginning of how God works.
In today’s world, believers still pray. But not every prayer receives an answer. The reason is simple: God responds to prayers offered in faith. No matter how desperate the prayer, if it is built on anxiety and disbelief, it is not truly directed to God—it is merely the repetition of fear.
Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you” (John 14:27). This peace is not emotional comfort. It is the direct reign of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the one who prays. A person who bows before God in faith may not change during prayer, but they know God has heard them when peace settles in afterward. That is the signal of His answer.
Prayer can be gentle petition, but it is sometimes bold resistance. David said before Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty” (1 Samuel 17:45). This was a confession, a declaration, a battle. Faith is not a silent religion—it is an act of spiritual declaration that breaks through fear, despair, and the enemy’s whisper.
Prayer is not merely a whisper. Sometimes it is a command, a proclamation, an act of will that clings to God’s promises. Scripture declares, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Prayer is not passive waiting but active advancement based on God’s will.
Faith also means surrendering to God after praying. To give burdens to the Lord and then retrieve them in our minds is a reaction born of unbelief. So the believer declares, “I have entrusted it. God will work.” This is not a hollow mantra—it is a declaration of expected reality.
Jesus said, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24). Faith acts as if it has already received what it asks for. Prayer is only the beginning. When a person lives as one who has already received, God responds to that faith.
The most common obstacle to faith is doubt. Doubt is not just skepticism. The Bible calls it a weapon of the devil. Sin began when Eve doubted God’s word. Doubt enters when we listen to the devil’s voice instead of God’s, and it nullifies prayer. “The one who doubts… should not expect to receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6–7).
Therefore, thanksgiving and praise are essential to sustaining faith. They are not courtesy—they are acts of faith. Ruth Bell Graham once said that when fear overwhelmed her about her son, she turned to thanksgiving and found light returning to her heart. “Gratitude lit the room, and fear fled.” The language of faith is thanksgiving; the language of unbelief is complaint.
God works according to faith. The one who prays without doubting begins walking as though they have already received, even before anything changes. To such people, God declares:
“Let it be done for you according to your faith.”
Faith is more than trust—it is a decision that involves obedience and manifests in action. Scripture defines it as the “substance of things hoped for,” but faith that remains mere desire will never bring about history. Substance means reality. And to become reality, action is required. Faith is never complete without deeds.
Prayer is the entrance to faith. But real faith begins after prayer. In John 14:27, Jesus says, “The peace I give you is not as the world gives.” This peace is not psychological comfort—it is a different dimension of divine rule, a way of experiencing God’s presence. It comes only when we lay down our worries and act in trust.
What do all the great figures in Scripture have in common? They all heard God’s voice. But more importantly, they obeyed it. Abraham left without knowing where to go. Noah built an ark before the rain fell. What made them great was not their ability to hear, but their willingness to act. Today, many believers hear but do not move. Faith always requires the decision to live out what is heard.
The evidence of faith is always peace. There is a saying that fear is not faith. But faith can include trembling. The key is that even in trembling, we surrender to God and move forward. The peace that comes during prayer is God’s answer, and to keep it, our post-prayer life must also be surrendered.
God promised to carry our burdens—but only when we lay them down. Psalm 68:19 says, “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” The problem is that we say we entrust our burdens to God, yet hold onto worry and control in our hearts. Faith is the courage to release and the humility to entrust our lives to God’s ways.
Prayer is not only request—it is battle, declaration, and confrontation. David didn’t hold a sword before Goliath—he held the name of the Lord, and by that name he won. The same applies to believers today. Faith does not stay silent in the face of circumstances. It speaks with the Word, resists with truth, and declares with promise. Prayer is the means by which we proclaim God’s dominion over our lives.
Matthew 6 tells us not to worry about what to eat, drink, or wear. Yet our lives are full of such concerns. Faith is not merely the absence of worry—it is seen in the choice to prioritize God’s kingdom and righteousness. God is asking about our priorities. Faith responds by letting go of what it holds and holding onto God. And in that place, miracles of provision occur.
Faith is living as though you have already received. Mark 11:24 says, “Believe you have received it, and it will be yours.” This is not mere optimism or psychological manipulation—it is living by God’s promise as the standard of life. It is choosing truth over reality. This is God’s system, and all answers rest on it.
The greatest enemy of faith is doubt. Scripture doesn’t treat doubt lightly—it calls it a strategy of the devil. Eve didn’t fall because of curiosity, but because she doubted. God said, “You will die,” but the devil said, “You will not die.” Eve listened to the alternative interpretation. Today’s believers do the same. God speaks, but we trust our experience and logic more. Doubt takes root, and faith collapses.
What revives faith is thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the spiritual language that awakens faith. Ruth Bell Graham said fear fled when she turned to gratitude in prayer. Thanksgiving is not courtesy—it is a faith strategy. When anxiety comes, gratitude can resist it. Charles Spurgeon said, “Thanksgiving for blessings prolongs them. Thanksgiving for trials ends them.” God shows His salvation to the thankful.
Unforgiveness and resentment are often hidden barriers to answered prayer. Mark 11:25 says, “When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them.” God does not respond to prayers when relationships are broken. This is not about emotional release—it is about divine order. God demands love over justice, forgiveness over judgment. The church must be built on that difference.
Faith begins with believing God. Knowing God exists is not enough. We must trust that He rewards and cares for us. Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare His own Son… how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” This is the gospel: God will never abandon us.
The cross is proof. It is not only the means of salvation—it is the foundation of faith, the event that proves the reality of God’s love. Those who look to the cross can always confess again:
“I live by faith because someone carried my burden in my place.”
Maeil Scripture Journal | Faith Column
