Praying with Full Assurance of Faith – Hebrews 10:19-22

Would you like to pray with full assurance of faith? God wants to be near us, and for that He sent Jesus. Knowing this, why do we sometimes still lack confidence when we come to Him? Or, when we are praying, feel weak because of worry? Today we will open Hebrews 10:19-22 and learn three tips to help us pray with full assurance of faith.

King Cantona

We lived in Manchester in the 90s. At that time the Manchester United football team was reigning, and Eric Cantona was the “King.” I admired him greatly and sometimes prayed for him, that I or one of the church members might have the opportunity to invite him to worship.

My daughter was learning piano and she needed a metronome. My son and I went to the music store to buy one for her. When we went up to the second floor, I was so shocked to see Eric Cantona there with two of his friends. He was trying to play the trumpet. I bought the metronome and went outside.

I waited for several minutes (which felt like hours) until he came out. Almost choking with nervousness I worked up the courage to say “Hello.” To my surprise, he turned toward me. I felt like a worm before a hungry eagle. Stammering, I gave him a church card and invited him to come to Sunday worship. He looked at me and said “No.”

When he answered that way, he said it politely, but he showed no interest at all. I left that place happy because I had met him, but emotionally drained!

 

Building Bridges

Certain people make us afraid. They seem to make our mouths dry and our tongues tied. In some cases that is caused by tremendous respect, while the rest is caused by pure fear. Neither our awareness of the sins we have committed nor the divinity of God should keep us from coming near to Him. In fact, the distance or separation between us and God has already been bridged by Jesus.

What does this mean for our prayers? According to Hebrews 10:19-22, we have an answer to this problem.    10:19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, by the blood of Jesus we now have full boldness to enter the Most Holy Place, 10:20 because He has opened a new and living way for us through the curtain, that is, His own body, 10:21 and we have a Great High Priest over the house of God. 10:22 Therefore let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and firm assurance of faith, because our hearts have been cleansed from an evil conscience and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

IN FACT, THE DISTANCE OR SEPARATION BETWEEN US AND GOD HAS ALREADY BEEN BRIDGED BY JESUS.

Full Assurance of Faith

Our assurance in prayer is built by what the Lord has already done through Jesus. It depends on the Lord and not on us. The word assurance or confidence is important in Hebrews (see Heb 3:6; Heb 4:16; Heb 10:35 and also the verse we are discussing here). We do not need to lack confidence when praying for these three reasons. 1. The body of Christ has become the entry ticket. Therefore, we worship, praise, and give offerings to Him. “In Him we have boldness and access to God with full confidence through our faith in Him.”  - Ephesians 3:12. If the Lord was willing to pay such a great price to be near us, you do not need to worry about your prayers.

2. There is no barrier anymore. “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” - Mark 15:38. If that barrier has been torn, there is nothing left hindering us from the Father.

3. One baptism is enough. The priests of the old covenant had to wash repeatedly. But, because of what Jesus has done, one immersion is enough. The cleansing of the body here is an initiation (in Greek) because it refers to baptism. Perhaps some Jewish Christians at that time still had the idea that repeated cleansing was needed to remain clean. However, if you have been baptized, you do not need anything else.

Restored Assurance of Faith

If you know and have received what Jesus has done for you, if you believe in the barrier He has torn down, if you have participated in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2:36-42; Romans 6:1-10), then you do not need to be afraid. Come to the Father in prayer. He is waiting for you, and He will listen.

Question: What will help you pray with assurance of faith?

God bless,

Malcolm

 *Church GKDI is currently in 35 cities. We have Bible study activities in every area; if you need information or would like to get involved, contact us at contact Church GKDI Official: WhatsApp 0821 2285 8686 or Facebook / Instagram GKDI Official

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