Praying With Faith

[Annie12]

So, I've been praying for an intention for a while now but I'm having issues with maintaining faith that God will deliver. Then I came across this on a website
[quote]God has made believing a condition of receiving. I’ve read this recently: “prayer without faith quickly degenerates into an aimless routine or heartless hypocrisy.” I find that to be so true. I often say the words but my heart is not in it. How can you tell if you’re praying with faith? Philippians 4:7 gives us the answer: the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will keep your heart and mind. If you’re still anxious and worried, if you’re still plotting and planning, if you’re still complaining and pacing, the odds are you’ve not prayed in faith.[/quote]
Does our level of faith equal that which God will give us? I feel like I'm trying my hardest to have faith but I find what I'm praying for to be too hard to achieve. What is your take on this? What could I do in my daily prayers to help boost my faith?

[EmilyAnn]

My old parish priest used to tell us "God answers all our prayers. Sometimes the answer is 'no'." We sometimes want things that are not what is best for us and that are not in keeping with God's will (and His will is of course what is best for us). He does not deny us because He doesn't love us or because we haven't reached the right threshold of faith for that particular gift. A loving parent does not give in to the wants of their child when they know those wants will hurt us. We should be happy when He denies us something because it is a sign of His great love for us!

Faith isn't about having your every whim granted. Faith requires us to trust in His judgement and know that the Lord is righteous. Prayer should not be solely about asking for things from God. The centre of our prayers should be what we can do for the Lord, to give Him praise and glory and thanks. All other things stems from that. He is so infinitely wiser than we can even begin to comprehend, and He knows what is best for us. So if you are not getting what you want, remember that it is not His will and thank Him for it.

[Noel's angel]

This might sound strange, but take a step back and stop trying so hard. It seems like you're trying to find a formula to get God to give you what you want. God knows what you need, and He knows when to give it to you. That is what you need to have faith in, rather than having faith that God will eventually give you what you want if you persevere for long enough. What you want today could very well change tomorrow, or next year, and what God has in store for you may not become apparent for another 20 years, but sometimes you just have to abandon yourself completely and say 'God, I don't know what you're up to, or where I'm headed, but I trust in your infinite goodness and your unfailing love for me. Your will be done, not mine.'