Focus: Pray Through (Pt.2)

Text: Jh.16:24

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

The Lord assures, "Ask, and ye shall receive." Asking and receiving go together. They are like the two sides of a coin. It is in asking and receiving that our full joy is realized. So the asking continues until there is a receiving.

In another instance, the Lord says, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Mt.7:7). One interesting thing about this verse is that the Lord speaks in the present tense continuous: 'Ask, and keep on asking. Seek, and keep on seeking. Knock, and keep on knocking.' Sustain the tempo! Keep pressing! That is persistent and persevering prayer. We have been given a free access to the audience chamber of the King. We are authorized to approach the throne of grace with all boldness and freedom of speech. Our King's scepter is always lifted up for a free pass. The name of Jesus Christ is our eternal password.

Luke tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ "spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Lk.18:1). He had to employ a parable to buttress the necessity of persistence in prayer. He encourages us not to grow weary in prayer, even when it looks like the answers we need or desire seem not yet in sight or handy.

Luke tells us about an incident involving Peter. He says, "Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him" (Act.12:5). It didn't look like Peter was going to survive in prison. Herod had already made up his mind to execute Peter as soon as the Sabbath was over, but the church kept praying to God for his release regardless. The word 'without ceasing' literally means that the church 'stretched out themselves to the limit.' They went all out in prayer for Peter's deliverance. They were persistent. They persevered. They prayed intently, intensely and immensely. James had already been taken away from them and killed, and now, they were not prepared to lose Peter. So they threw their whole lives into their prayer, and surely, they prevailed. The Lord granted Peter an angelic deliverance. In fact, the Lord answered the prayer in such a way that the church couldn't believe it. At the sight of Peter, they thought that he was a ghost. They must have said, It's a lie! This is Peter's ghost, not Peter in reality. 

Child of God, you will pray through! For sowing in tears, you will also reap in joy. Your joy shall be fulfilled. You will experience full joy.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter