Faith in God is not presumption. 

What is presumption? “an idea that is taken to be true, and often used as the basis for other ideas, although it is not known for certain.”

How do we presume upon God? By proclaiming instead of praying is one way we can presume upon God.

Some see faith as a force, a declaration of your heart’s desire instead of trust in the knowledge of God. Look at an interaction the prophet Ezekiel had with God. 

“The hand of Adonai was upon me. The Ruach Adonai carried me out and set me down in the middle of the valley. It was full of bones. ² He led me all around them. Behold, there were very many on the floor of the valley. Behold, they were very dry. ³ Then He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I answered, “Adonai Elohim, You know.” ⁴ “Prophesy over these bones,” He said to me. “Say to them: ‘Dry bones, hear the word of Adonai!’” Ezekiel 37:1-4 TLV

Ezekiel didn’t know if the bones would live or not, so he replied, “O Lord God you know.” This was not Ezekiel playing it safe; this was the prophet recognizing that only God knew what God was going to do. Jesus told the disciples if they ask anything in my name, I will do it. Is that statement a blank check to ask God for anything, or worse, a go-ahead to declare your desires and expect God to answer your every whim?

If you take John 14:14 alone, you may draw that conclusion. however, if you search the Scripture, we see that view not baring out in other places.

James 4:3 TLV “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives so you may spend it on your passions.”

There is a prayer that God can’t answer, and that is a selfish prayer, a prayer of presumption. God is also not obligated to act on our decrees. God decrees we do not. Whether we need healing, finances, wisdom, or something else, we are to ask God, not declare what we want. Don’t ask for what you want; ask God for what He knows you can handle and steward. The enemy would love for us to presume in prayer or bypass prayer altogether and declare things outside of God’s will.

Let’s take a lesson from Ezekiel’s response and understand that there are things only God knows. Then, take James’s words to heart and pray with a pure heart, asking the Lord to do His will in your life and cleanse you from selfish motives.