I Will, Will You? (a faith prayer)

I want to follow God wherever He asks me to go, but it can be so hard. In the middle of chaos and the weariness of life, I can forget that it’s always safe to say “I will” to God. That’s where a faith prayer can be helpful.

“Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:5

Simon (Peter) presents a beautiful picture of faith in this biblical account.

Exhaustion must have oozed out of every pore of his being. He was undoubtedly frustrated from fishing all night with no success and had just cleaned up his fishing gear.

Yet Simon followed Jesus’ advice even though it appeared hopeless. I am amazed by this fisherman’s answer every time I read this verse: “but because you say so, I will…”

It reminds me of Mary’s response when told she’d be the mother of Jesus: “May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38b).

Such faith! And the aspect of both answers that most strikes me is how quickly they agree to a strange and unexpected, even bizarre, circumstance or request.

It is always safe to answer 'I will' to God. Click To Tweet

Faith in Action

When I’m exhausted and nothing is going as it should or I don’t understand the situation, I’m not likely to respond to it with “I will” or “May it be done.” If I’m honest, my answer is far more likely to be “God, are you sure?” or “Can it wait?” or “Let me pray about it and I’ll get back to you.”

I procrastinate. There’s nothing wrong with praying about a situation or making sure what you think you heard is biblical. In fact, Scripture encourages us to make sure we are following truth (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

But if we’re not careful, our answers to God’s requests reflect a lack of faith more than a desire to rightly follow.

If we're not careful, our answers to God's requests reflect a lack of faith more than a desire to rightly follow. Click To Tweet

I am repeatedly convicted by the faith of Simon Peter, the fisherman turned Apostle. I want to respond affirmatively to God’s requests in my life. I want to do as He says. I want to follow where He leads. I want to live like He asks.

I want to respond, “Because You say so, I will!,” no matter what His request is.

That’s faith in action. That’s the faith I desire.

That’s the reason I offer this faith prayer. May it remind me and you that God is trustworthy and our response to Him should always be, “I will!”

God is trustworthy; let your answer to Him be 'I will.' Click To Tweet

I Will Faith Prayer

Lord, I look into the future and became fearful, but You remind me,
“I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20)

I too often look back at past failures and doubt my worth to serve You,
but You assure me, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:20).

I look at the circumstances of today and feel too weak to make it,
but You promise me, “My grace is sufficient” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

When storms blow in, You ask me to trust You. You ask me to believe You
will protect and care for me through all kinds of weather (Isaiah 41:13).

When I feel weak and insufficient, You remind me to “be strong and
courageous” (Psalm 31:24).

When I feel too weary to take one more step, You ask me to run my race
with endurance by “keeping [my] eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

When I feel I’ve exhausted my quota of requests, You encourage me to
“ask in My name” (John 14:13).

When I am crushed under the weight of the burdens, You tell me to
“take heart” (Psalm 69:32b).

You say that with You “all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

You promise to clothe and feed me (Matthew 6:25).

You ask me to believe (John 11:40).

Lord, the things you ask of me often make no sense. This life, this walk,
this way of living as a Christian: the skeptics scoff, the mockers mock.
It is so different from how one would expect it to be.

Yet, dear God, You ask, You tell, You command, You promise, You assure.
And whether I can make sense of it or not, I will…!

I will trust. I will believe. I will take heart. I will be courageous. I will rest
in your grace, even when all appears to be shattering around me.

I will by faith have hope, Father! Because You say so. And You are
my Lord and my God!

In Jesus’ most precious name. Amen!

Creating and/or reciting a faith prayer is a great reminder of God's faithfulness and how we should respond to Him. Click To Tweet

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

Reflections: What are you struggling with that is making it difficult to trust God? Consider writing your own faith prayer to refocus on God instead of your circumstances.

I am always thrilled to link up with Suzie Eller for #livefreeThursday and this week’s prompt, “but if you say so.” Click on the image to check out the wonderful encouragement.