I am deeply convinced by the Holy Spirit that prayer really does work. In fact, when we work we work, but when we pray God works and God does more in an hour than we can do in a life time. It is the most worthwhile exercise this side of heaven. The important thing we need to understand is that God, not man, always sets the time table of answering prayer. Sometimes the Lord’s answer is a direct answer, but then again the Lord’s answer to our prayer may be something different than what we prayed, but better than what we prayed. Or the Lord’s answer may be a flat denial which is not a non-answer at all, but which can be a very important answer.
Often the answer to our prayer has to be delay. It has to be in the economy of God lest we play God and manipulate God. Since our prayers are not always answered the moment we pray, if you and I are to be effective prayer warriors, we must learn the Secret of Persisting in Prayer, or what I call “The Secret of Praying Through.” What do I mean when I use this language? When a lost man repents and trusts Christ there is no delay in his being saved. The Bible teaches that he is saved immediately. But when I say “Praying Through” I’m talking about an exercise deep in the soul of the people of God. Praying until we know we get through to God. Therefore, we have a deep conviction of His will in a matter, then keep praying until the prayer is finished and the answer comes.
Sometimes we pray and by simple faith we receive an answer that’s as plain as the sun shining, but then again, God calls us to pray and pray and pray. Where do we get the doctrine of praying or persistent prayer? We get it from the teachings of Jesus, especially in Luke 11 and Matthew 15. In the 11th chapter of Luke, Jesus illustrates it in a very graphic way. A man faces a desperate problem. He has guests arriving into his home during the night, and he has no bread or food to feed them. So he rushes over to his neighbor and begins to bang at his door at midnight and says, “I’m in a predicament – I’ve had guests arrive and I don’t have food for them. Would you loan me three loaves?” The man on the inside says, “No, the door is already closed, we are all in bed and I don’t want you to wake up my whole household.”
Jesus says that on the basis of mere friendship the neighbor did not come to the rescue, but Jesus went on to say that on the basis of his importunity, on the basis of his stubborn shamelessness, that the man did get up and give him the food that he requested.
Then in verse 9, Jesus gives the application to you and me. He says, “Keep on asking and you will keep on receiving. Keep on seeking and you will keep on finding, keep on knocking and doors will keep on being opened to you.”
Please Note The CHARISTERISTICS of The Kind of Prayer That Prays Through
- The Kind of Prayer That Prays Through Is Always Utterly Serious and Utterly Desperate. The man who’s going to pray through recognizes that only the great God of heaven has the answer to his needs. He knows that God wants to answer it – he has a deep conviction of the will of God. He knows there is a reason that the delay has come, and so with desperation he stays before God. Prayer is the most important thing in his life. He has a holy desperation in it.
- The Kind of Prayer That Prays Through Is Single-Minded, Steadfast, And Wholehearted. In James 1:6-8, we have some wonderful instruction on the subject of persistent prayer. The Apostle James says, “Let a man ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea – tossed and driven. Let not that man think that he will receive anything of the Lord. The double minded man is unstable in all of his ways.” The apostle is talking about prayer. If we expect to be prayer warriors and to get answers to our prayers we must have the highest purpose in prayer. There’s not much need to pray unless we feel a purpose – an unwavering purpose in God in prayer. How often people get concerned about a matter, and they will mention it to the Lord and come into prayer meetings and say, “I have this need” and they may bring it before the Lord, and then forget it or may never come back to it in prayer. God is teaching us that one of the most important things in victory is steadfastness and purpose. We must have purpose in all that we do until God knows we have purpose. We must have single- heartedness. If we are half-hearted about prayer we are not going to win the big cases in prayer.
- The Kind of Prayer That Prays Through Is Bold, Stubborn, And Shameless. There’s a wonderful word on this subject in Hebrews 4:16. The Lord says, “Therefore, let us come boldly to the throne of grace.” Not timidly, but boldly to the throne of grace. What does it mean to come boldly to the throne of grace? It does not mean to rush irreverently into the presence of God. It does not mean to command God and demand God and order Him around like He was a slave. I’ve never felt that was a posture I could assume in the presence of God. What does it mean? Boldly is the Greek word paresis which literally means “Liberty of speech” or “leaving nothing unsaid.” It means to come with our whole heart and our whole need and hold nothing back from God. It’s to pray big prayers and expect big answers from a big God. God is honored when we pray big prayers and expect big answers. He’s dishonored when we pray little puny prayers and expect Him to do nothing. The man who persists in prayer will be a man who will boldly approach the throne of God.
- The Kind of Prayer That Prays Through Does Not Quit But Expects An Answer from God. E. M Bounds in his book says, “Prayer that prays through does not grow weary or get discouraged or get tired. It never yields to cowardice. It’s never intimidated. It never prepares to quit or never intends to get off of its knees until it’s found an answer from God.” Victory is won through a battle in prayer and prevailing prayer. Not just a “now I lay me down to sleep” little prayer or a little devotional thought around the breakfast table, but a blistering attack on the devil and the forces of darkness which would destroy us in our homes today unless we can launch an offensive in prayer. Prayer is not weak. It’s the mightiest act of a man this side of heaven.
- The Kind of Prayer That Prays Through Stands Ready to Pay The Price. How important is prayer in your life? A person who is serious about prayer and winning the hard cases in prayer – not the little Mickey Mouse things – but the hard cases of the kingdom of God and these things that can only be won through the supernatural intervention of God – that person has made prayer persistent and a priority. If prayer is a priority in your life, it is more important than pleasure, sleep, food, family, vacation or anything in the world. A man that’s going to pray is going to have a holy desperation in prayer and he’s going to pray! Because he knows that everything is at stake. Are you willing to pay the price and make prayer a priority in your life?
Please note Some Bible CHARACTERS Who “Prayed Through”
- Moses – Do you realize there’s not a person in the Bible, not a person in Christian history that God used powerfully or who was powerful in prayer who did not learn the secret of praying through? The secret of Moses was that he learned to “Pray Through.” In Numbers 14:11-20, God threatens to wipe Israel off of the face of the map. Moses begins to importune with the Lord and he says, “Lord, don’t do it because if you do the heathen nations around us will laugh at us and will say You were just not able to take Your people through the wilderness and You just killed them.” And then Moses prays in verse 19, “Lord, I beseech you that you will forgive the iniquities of the people according to the greatness of Thy mercy.” God answers back in the next verse, “I have pardoned according to thy word.” Arthur, Jack Taylor says that Moses changed the mind of God. Moses prayed so much that according to Deut. 9:14, the Lord said, “Let Me alone, Moses.” But Moses didn’t let Him alone. He kept on praying and God kept on answering. Have you ever prayed so much that you almost wearied God?
- Elijah – was another man who learned the secret of “Praying Through.” In 1 Kings 18:41 and 44, he prays that it will rain. He sends his servant and says, “Do you see a cloud?” The servant came back and said, “I see nothing.” He prays a second time and a second time the servant comes back saying he saw nothing. He prayed a third, fourth, fifth and sixth time. The servant said, “Nothing.” It was not until he had prayed the seventh time that the servant saw the clouds forming and the rains came! I believe that most of us would given up before we got to the 7th time. We’d say God hasn’t heard us and we’d give up. There is a time not to quit praying, and for any man who has any sensitivity and any desire to be a spiritual power – there should never be a time that he is not importuning in prayer about some great issues that face him, his family, and his world.
- Jacob – In Genesis 32:26, the angel said, “Let Me go.” That’s Jesus, pre-incarnate. Jacob said, “I’ll not let you go until you bless me.” That’s the man who’s going to get the blessing and the victory. The man who won’t let go of prayer. God wants to know that we are utterly serious and utterly committed. God will never be more serious with me than I’m serious with Him.
- Paul – learned the secret of “praying through.” In 2 Cor. 12:8, we read that he prayed three times for the removal of the thorn and the impression you get is that he prayed over a period of time – not in just one context – but he prayed over a period of time and finally he got a better answer than he ever asked. The answer that came through persistent prayer paved the way to praise. It always does!
- Jesus – in His own humanity, repeated prayer. In Matthew 26:44 it says He prayed again the third time, saying the same words. Jesus knew what it meant to stay before the Father in prayer. He never thought of just a little devotional prayer – just praying 5 minutes a day and forgetting what He’d prayed about – His whole life was prayer, and importunity. It’s been that way with all the prayer warriors in history.
We live in the most superficial age in history – until you have almost everything instantly. We now have quickie marriage and quickie divorce. You can get almost everything in an instant. People want their religion that way. But the great victories of God are not won that way. There’s a cross at the center of prayer. There’s a denial of your flesh, there is a dying. There is the reality of the gospel in prayer. It is not just a little devotional thing. It’s warfare. If you went to college on your daddy’s money and never had to work, you don’t appreciate your degree like I appreciate mine. If your daddy gave you a house, 100 acres of land, set you up, you don’t appreciate it like the man who’s dug his out. That is one of the greatest problems of our society today is a society that’s not earned its way and we are living on the capital of yesterday. It’s the same way in spiritual things. If I can just plug in God and get anything I want and not show my seriousness before Him I won’t even appreciate the answers to prayer, I will become haughty and shallow and foolish. But when I’ve importuned in prayer and I’ve fought the battle of prayer, when the answer to prayer comes it’s one of the greatest blessings on earth!