Skip Navigation Links

"Ask, and you SHALL receive!"

   By Richard Rice Page 1 Good News Dec, 1980

You don't have to be a scholar to prove that the Bible is inspired. You don't need to be an expert in the Greek or Hebrew languages. It isn't necessary to spend hundreds' of hours in historical or archaeological research.

Don't misunderstand! These tools are useful in fine tuning unclear passages or supporting biblical claims. But there is a more practical, down-to-earth way to absolutely prove to yourself that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God. All it takes is prayer and a simple, real faith in the living God who stands behind His Word.

 

The importance of prayer

How can prayer prove the Bible?

God methodically and accurately thought His Word out even before He created the .world or man. He knew long before how He would handle every situation that would arise.

Before He made man, God assumed the responsibility of taking care of man's needs. Jesus assured His disciples, "Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him" (Matt. 6:8). This provision for man's needs is reflected in the Bible's promises. God repeatedly challenges us to try Him, to test Him, to unquestionably prove that His Word is absolute (Mal. 3:10). He says to "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (I Thess. 5:21).

As we act on God's Word — as we pray and receive answers — we will experience that God's Word is true. The Bible works because God infuses His power to make it work. As God said in Isaiah 55:11: "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."

There is power in the Word of God and His "exceeding great and precious promises" (II Pet. 1:4). The inspiration of the Bible is proved by God making His promises come to pass!

And whether God is fulfilling prophecy or answering our personal prayers, the principle is the same. The Bible's inspiration is being proven.

If God can foresee thousands of years in advance and make prophecy come to pass, then surely He is able to see into our personal futures for one day, two weeks or three months. And He can make our requests come to pass in the same way He makes prophecy stand.

 

Prayer molds us

Prayer is important in proving the Bible's inspiration for the direct, personal effect it can have on us. God literally uses our prayers to help us develop His mind and attitude.

Research indicates that man's speech and thought emanate from the same center. So when a person prays, he activates his thinking processes. (Try speaking without thinking, and you will understand how the principle works) When a person believes the Bible and prays with all his heart, God's thoughts enter and work in his mind. The human mind becomes saturated with God's mind:

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power" (Eph. 1:17-19).

It's a marvelous process. Prayer turns on power in the mind. It allows God's Spirit to flow — like completing a circuit — as the human mind reaches out to God.

 

Requires patience

Because God's character upholds His Word, we can take the Bible for what it says, believe it and act on it with perfect confidence.

However, the fulfillment of prayer often requires time — a patient waiting on God. David wrote, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him" (Ps. 37:7).

This is an area where we frequently fall short. We don't always realize that God's answers frequently take time to be accomplished. God is working out a purpose in human life, and He is not doing a hasty, makeshift job. We need not become suspicious, impatient or troubled when God doesn't answer right away. There is never a reason to doubt the promises of God. Since God knows what we need before we ask Him, He also knows exactly when and how to answer.

The best answer may take several days, weeks or months. But if we become worried, we may press for an answer too soon or give up on God altogether and try to solve our problems our own way. We then lose faith and God's blessings as well. We need to patiently trust Him as He carries out His promises for us.

The inspiration of God's Word can be proven by prayer. When we communicate with God — when we believe and act on His Word and see its effect in our lives — we unleash the power of God. That power is in the Bible (Heb. 4:12).

Prayer makes this Word a living reality in our lives!