Praying Believing but Believing for What?

I am still evaluating my prayer life based on this morning Devotion from Streams in the Desert. The story related is about a captain of a steamship who was approached by George Mueller while the ship was in a dense fog off the coast of Newfoundland. Mr. Mueller told the captain that he needed to be in Quebec on Saturday. The captain was certain that would not happen. He went so far as to point out to Mr. Mueller just how dense the fog was as that point.

I love Mr. Mueller's statement. "My eye is not on the dense fog but on the living God who controls every circumstance of life."

Then what happens next is one big lesson for me. Mr. Mueller invites the captain to pray about this matter. In the words of the captain, Mr. Mueller prayed, "one of the most simple prayers I've ever heard."

But next point grabbed me. When the captain started to pray, Mr. Mueller told him not to pray. Mr. Mueller told the captain as he restrained him from praying, "First, you do not believe God will answer, and second, I BELIEVE HE HAS. Consequently, there is no need whatsoever for you to pray about it."

When they were done, Mr. Mueller told the captain to open the door and see that the fog was gone and they in fact made Quebec by Saturday.

Here are a couple of "takeaways" for me:

1. When I pray and ask God,do I believe that God may answer, could answer or already has answered?

2. Why ask people to pray who do not believe that God will answer?

3. God hears the most simple prayers. I do not need to try to impress God with my ability to pray.


This causes me to reread James 1:6 .... "But when he asks he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."