Faith Over Feelings: The Key to Deeper Prayer

A.W Tozer was a minister who emphasised the need to have a deeper prayer life.

During a camp meeting that he was scheduled to preach at seven O Cloak. His time came but he was nowhere to be seen, so a friend spoke in his place.

The next morning that friend spotted A.W. Tozer, and asked,

“Where were you last night? We were waiting for you to speak.”

A.W. Tozer, looked at him and said, “I had a more important appointment last night.”

The friend realised, after he had finished having lunch, A. W. Tozer had gone to his knees to pray and to worship God. He got lost in the presence of God and lost all sense of time.”

What caused Tozer to lose the sense of time was faith.

Have you ever wondered how it must feel to be lost in His presence especially with our weak, wandering mind?

For years this was my issue, and it still can be if I am not careful about what I watch and hear. I remember as a teenager in church, when it was time to pray, I would pinch myself over and over to keep my mind focused. Ashamed of myself, I assumed I just  was unsavable, and maybe this is the reason why God will not help me fight against my thoughts.

But today this is not my story, and it is my prayer, that you will have your own experience as we look into the next principle of prayer, which is faith.  

 In the quote below Ellen G White, did an excellent job defining faith.

“Feeling and faith are as distinct from each other as the east is from the west. Faith is not dependent on feeling. Daily we should dedicate ourselves to God, and believe that Christ understands and accepts the sacrifice, without examining ourselves to see if we have that degree of feeling that we think should correspond with our faith.”  (Our High Calling, April 24)

Let us unpack this,

As east is far from west so are faith and feelings different from each other. It is a big mistake to assume we are distant, or closer to Him based on our emotions. Feelings are never to be trusted, because they are ever changing like the clouds. As we know, when clouds gather rain falls, so too when we depend on emotions, we break down.

This is why Ellen G White emphasises again

“Place no dependence upon changeable feelings but plant your feet upon the sure platform of the promises of God: Thou hast said it; I believe the promise. This is an intelligent faith.” (Our High Calling, April 28)

Did you catch that? Only intelligent people did, faith that is based on God’s promises is intelligent faith.

Where do I start?

Begin by knowing, we have more assurance that God is willing to increase our faith more, than a mother wants to give her children food (Luke 11:13). Therefore, go forward from here and exercise your faith like a muscle that you want to grow by cherishing hope, patients and trust even when you feel otherwise.

Sing faith until you have faith.

And when your heart is still in doubt,

Sing even more until your heart beats in rhythm with your faith.