Faith Is Not a Formula for Getting What We Want

Scripture: Mark 11:22; Psalm 119:89; 1 John 5:14

Mount Everest stands approximately 29,000 feet above sea level. I may sincerely believe it is only two feet tall. I may confess it, declare it, and repeat it with absolute confidence. I may even persuade others to agree with me. But when all is said and done, Mount Everest remains exactly as tall as it was before I opened my mouth. My confession hasn’t changed the mountain. I’ve simply demonstrated that I can be sincerely wrong.

Believing something doesn’t make it true, and declaring something doesn’t make it real.

Yet a troubling idea has gained acceptance in some Christian circles. We are told that if we believe something strongly enough, speak it confidently enough, and refuse to entertain doubt, our words will bring it into existence.

Some recognize that human words do not possess creative power in themselves. Instead, they insist that God’s Word possesses that power and that we can release it into our circumstances by agreeing with it, believing it, and confessing it.

After all, doesn’t the Bible say, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89)?

Indeed, it does! But the fact that God’s Word is forever settled doesn’t mean that whatever I claim from it is guaranteed to happen.

The opening chapter of Genesis tells us that God spoke, and creation came into existence. “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). His words possessed creative power because He is God.

But talking like God doesn’t give us God’s creative ability. Neither does repeating what God has said give us control over what God will do.

There is an enormous difference between trusting God’s Word and attempting to use God’s Word to get what we want.

Consider the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Satan actually quoted Scripture! He appealed to God’s promise of angelic protection and urged Jesus to throw Himself from the pinnacle of the temple (Matthew 4:5–7). The promise was real. The Scripture was true. But the application was wrong.

Jesus refused to turn God’s promise into an excuse for presumption.

That’s worth thinking about.

A biblical quotation does not make our personal expectation legitimate.

We can believe God’s Word wholeheartedly and still misunderstand what He has said. We can confess a genuine biblical promise and yet miss God’s wise plan for our moment.

Consider Joseph. Had God sent angels to deliver him from the pit or prevented his imprisonment, Joseph might have escaped considerable suffering. But those painful experiences became part of the pathway through which God positioned him to preserve many lives. What Joseph’s brothers intended for evil, God used for good (Genesis 50:20).

And what about Jesus? He could have called more than twelve legions of angels to deliver Him from His enemies (Matthew 26:53). But had He escaped the cross, how would the Scriptures have been fulfilled? Jesus chose the Father’s redemptive purpose over His own comfort.

Sometimes the very circumstances we are desperately trying to escape are the circumstances through which God is accomplishing His purposes.

That’s why we must be careful not to turn God’s promises into demands that He do what we want, when we want it, and the way we want it.

Jesus said, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22). Notice that He directs our faith toward God Himself, not toward a process by which we supposedly obtain His power. Faith is not a technique for securing a desired outcome. It is confidence in the character, wisdom, and faithfulness of God.

John makes an important distinction when he writes, “If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us” (1 John 5:14). Confidence in prayer is not grounded in our ability to agree, believe, and confess something until it happens. It is grounded in God’s willingness to hear and answer prayers that accord with His will.

That doesn’t mean we should pray timidly or expect little from God. Quite the contrary! We should pray boldly, believe confidently, and expect God to do what He has promised. But we must never confuse confidence in God with confidence that we can determine His actions.

God has not surrendered His sovereignty to our confessions.

The Christian life is not about discovering the right words to get God to fulfill our desires. It is about knowing Him, trusting Him, and bringing our desires into agreement with His purposes.

Faith doesn’t make God obligated to do what I want. Faith enables me to trust Him to do what is right.

So, let’s believe God’s Word. Let’s confess its truth. Let’s boldly ask God to fulfill His promises. But let’s remember that His Word is not a formula, His power is not ours to command, and His faithfulness is not measured by whether we get what we want.

God’s Word is forever settled. Our desires are not.

And perhaps genuine faith begins when we learn the difference.

A Thought Worth Remembering

Faith is not using God’s Word to get what I want. Faith is trusting God enough to want what He wills.

“Not my will, but thine, be done.” — Luke 22:42 (KJV)