Persevering prayer
The blessings and power of persevering prayer
In this passage God gives four precious promises:
7)““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8)For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
9)Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10)Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11)If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew
Christ, gives us three promises in the beginning and then repeats them,
8)For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be openen
I can hardly think of more precious things in the Bible. The blessing of persevering prayer and the power of persevering prayer come from God, in keeping his promises. When we pray continuously, like that widow in Luke 18 and when we ask for things that are on God’s heart He will answer and He will give us the things we ask for. God is all about fulfilling his promises to his children over and over again. That is the kind of God that He is. Faithful to his promises!
❖ Let’s take a few examples: We read of Moses in Exodus 32-34 where God wanted to destroy the Israelites and Moses interceded for the nation and God was merciful and spared them.
❖ We read of Peter locked up in prison after James his brother was killed and the church praying earnestly for Peter and then God answering and sending an angel to rescue Peter.
❖ We read of Elijah praying that for three years there would be no rain in Israel and God answering him. And then after three years him praying again and it rained. We can multiply examples.
❖ Think of Jacob, wrestling with the angel of God praying throughout the night, and saying, I will not leave you until you bless me! And God did bless him!
❖ We hear of Geoge Müller praying that thousands of orphans to be cared for and without solicitation God answered hundreds of prayers.
❖ Thinking about my own life, I can testify of many prayers God has answered, helping me finish my studies at university, guiding me, providing for me, helping me conquer besetting sins, giving me peace, forgiving my sins, making me strong, giving me a wife, and a child, answering so many prayers, countless prayers.
In our ministry of APC, I cannot tell you how many times God has answered our prayers in crossing borders, getting books in at the right time, undertaking for us, when we got stuck in Northern Nigeria, in Malawi and Tanzania in the middle of the night with flat tyres, in the middle of nowhere, in dangerous areas.
I am sure you can multiply examples as well, if I would ask you.
There is power in persevering prayer, because there is power in God. His hand is not shortened to help us. There is blessing in persevering prayer. God will give us what we need. Jesus said: ask and you will receive that your joy may be full (John 16:30-33).
Any Christian that prays according to God’s will will receive countless answers to prayer. The question is, are you praying what is according to His will? (1 John 5:14-16).
Truths Transform 