How will you feel if you are given an open cheque guaranteed for unlimited funds? How ecstatic will you be if you can cash it in right now to change your life for the better? An open cheque is a cheque which has been signed, but does not have the amount of money written on it. Therefore, the possessor of this cheque determines what he can cash from the Bank by the amount he writes on the cheque. The confidence or attitude of the one who possesses such cheque will be determined by his trust in the one who issued the cheque. Most often than not many will not question the credibility of the bank that is charged to honor the transactions. Many will assume the bank had the funds to honor its fiduciary responsibilities when its expectations of withdrawals are met. The financial transactions of an economy must be founded on this belief otherwise there will be no use of the banking system. The credibility of the banking system must be beyond reproach for monetary system of a nation to work. With public confidence firmly nailed in the foundation of this trust, then will there be effectiveness of commerce of the nation.
Therefore, most people give the benefit of the doubt to the banks ability to honor the funds but when it comes to the cheque we wonder about the person who issued it. The only concern is that, does the issuer of the cheque have the funds in his account? Does he have right standing with the bank for them to release the funds when the cheque is presented? Has he bounced cheques before? If your answer to these questions are not positive then you will not even bother to go the bank because your estimation of the cheque is not worth the paper it was written on. Though you have been promised unlimited funds you will not even bother to cash it in. Your belief in the issuer of the cheque will determine your worth of the cheque and consequently your attitude.
I use this to illustrate our attitude towards prayer. Let us consider from the scriptural text what I mean. Consider this phenomenal promise of Jesus to His disciples.
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” – John 14:13-14 KJV
Jesus offers such an ostentatious promise to His disciples to ask the Father whatsoever they desire in His name and it will be done. He offers them a signed blank cheque to present to the bank of heaven. Their attitude towards the cheque is an honest estimation of their trust in Him. The disciples never question the existence of the Father or His inexhaustible resources. They know the bank of Heaven is never depleted. But their response to ask will be based on whether they trust Christ relationship with the Father. Does He have right standing with God for His blank cheque to be honored? Does His name have the fiduciary value for such heavenly transactions? The disciples must be assured of this otherwise they will not bother to pray. If they dont believe in Christ they will not value prayer.
Most believers are not excited about prayer because we are not really sure that we will be answered. We crowd to our preaching and worship sevices and delegate prayers to over zealous believers whom we call prayer warriors. Most believers don’t pray that much because they struggle with their belief that the complexity of their challenges and deficiencies can be solved with the simplexity of prayers. They will rather sweat it out through their deplorable scenarios, whine, complain and murmur instead of bowing their knees in prayer. They don’t ask so they dont experience the answers of heaven. They are born again into heavenly kingdom with inexhaustible economic resources yet are not enjoying its benefits because they don’t pray. They dont see its relevance. They have open cheque but no faith to cash it in. No wonder many believers are not experiencing the supply of heaven. The banking system of heaven does not transact any business on earth without the prayer of faith. Therefore without prayer you will be deficient of heavenly supply.
The few believers who do pray consistently have such dismal results so their zeal is deflated, and their commitment fizzles out with time. They are discouraged because they are not geting good enough return for their investment. How many of us attended all night prayers but never saw any tremendous change in our lives. We bombarded heaven with our eloquent prayers, oratorized with scriptures, yet to no avail. Why did we fail miserably?
For us to rightly diagnose this we must take a look at a cheque. The worth of any cheque is really based on the signature of the issuer. The bank will only honor the cheque when signature of the issuer is verified. Therefore, to present a cheque you must make sure it is rightly signed. Any other thing is not as relevant to the bank. In the same manner, what makes heaven to honor your prayer is not of your self righteousness, eloquence, fervency or your exorbitant sacrifice. God honors your prayers because of Jesus. Any other thing is not relevant. As believers, the effectiveness of our prayers is based on our belief in His name. It is more than just ending your prayer with His name. It is you trusting in Him that much that the Father will honor His promise because of Him. Any other approach to prayer will bankrupt your result and you will be held in default of necessities.
It is time we get excited about the promise of the reward of prayers. If you really believe in the Lord you will pray more. You cannot wait to present the blank cheque of His promises so you can cash it in for livelihood. It is time to be exhilarated by prayer. Now is the moment to transact business with the bank of heaven through prayer.
By: Reindorf Mantey
The Crusader for Christ
