Focus: Pray Through (Pt.1)

Text: Jh.16:24

"Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."

Life without prayer is abnormal. Someone has said it well that "a day without prayer is a boast against God." Prayer brings the eternal dimension into the earthly realm of life. Heaven and earth connect together from the place of prayer. 

The fire of heaven came down to the earth when Elijah prayed. Peter was released from prison and delivered from death when the church prayed. Things happen from the place of prayer. Changes take place in our lives through prayer. The prayer of faith saves the sick. 

The potency of prayer cannot be underestimated. Truly, life without prayer is not normal. It is a life in which God is sidelined or trivialized.

The Lord Jesus Christ tells us to pray and keep at it until our joy overflows. Simply put, the Lord Jesus Christ wants us to pray through. Prayer is not a hit-and-run thing. It is a determined and habitual exercise. Pray, and keep praying until the result of it. Until God comes through to you, keep praying! Pray for as long as it takes God to answer. Pray until you can see and touch the reality of your prayer.

God is not hard of hearing; He is not reluctant to answer your prayer. In fact, your persistent and protracted times of prayer are not intended to conquer God's reluctance. Persistent prayer is a demonstration of one's faith. It means that we trust God will come through to us. It means that we depend only on Him. It means that we have nowhere else to go to. It means that He alone has all the answers and resources that we are looking for. 

Prayer is never meant to be an exercise in futility; God designed it to be a fruitful practice.

We pray and anticipate God's response. God says, "Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them" (Ezk.36:37). Even after God has promised to bless us, we still need to call Him to do as He has promised. We are in relationship with God, and He delights in seeing us frequent His presence and having communion with Him. Isaiah declares, "Ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence" (Isa.62:6).

Prayer brings full joy to your life. The agony of prayer and the answer of joy are tied together. Those who sow in tears also reap in joy. Your answer is coming in due season. Be assured that you are not praying in vain. God will complete your joy.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter