PRAYING THROUGH
When I was a child, I remember hearing the older believers in church talk about praying through. At the time, I didn’t understand what this meant, even though it was a part of so many of the testimonies I heard. To some, it was a daily experience and they often asked each other: “have you prayed through today?” To others, it was an experience of travail and perseverance in prayer. Whatever the motivation behind this expression it was “praying until something happens.”
In todays “fast food” society and “instant results” methodology, few have the patience and perseverance to pray through. Most believers pray on the run. Two minutes here, another 5 minutes there, in the car, while they’re running to catch the bus….just praying as they can. A life lived in the fast lane, finds it hard to persevere. Most want to learn formulas so that their prayers will be answered quickly and as they desire. Even though this is the reality of many, it is not the will of God.
Praying through is touching Heaven. It is passing through the distractions and busyness of life to find that “hiding place” in God. It is getting past the talking into the place of listening. It is the persevering in prayer until the answer comes. Elijah knew that when it was God’s will to send rain, he needed to pray it through. He got up on Mount Carmel and prayed. He kept at it seven times until he saw the little cloud forming on the horizon. Elijah prayed “your will be done,” until it was done.
In teaching about faith, Jesus tells the story of an evil judge that was beseeched upon for justice by a widow. He had no intention to help the woman, but because she hounded him day after day, the judge conceded and gave her what she desired. Jesus applied this parable to those who would be persistent in prayer before the Father. He said, “Will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night?” (Luke 18.7) Faith, for Jesus, is faithfulness. It is keeping on. It is not letting go until it is yours. This passage ends with a question: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” The prayer of faith is “praying through.”
There are many examples in the Scriptures of persistent prayer. Daniel fasted and prayed during three weeks, until an angel came with the answer. Ana prayed, in the Temple, for the Messiah to come, most of her life, until she saw the baby Jesus. Paul said he was once again in labor pains, (travailing in prayer), until Christ be formed in the Galatian churches. Jude exhorts the Church to earnestly contend for the faith, and James says that those who waver will not receive answers to their prayers. Sometimes I wonder if we stop praying too soon. Does not God want to see if we are really earnest? Are we desperate for His will to be done? Do we hunger and thirst after righteousness and the Kingdom of God on earth?
Heaven is ready. The Promises of God are indisputable. The world waits for the believers of today, as in the past, to pray with all their hearts until the angels are dispatched, until evil defeated and God’s will established. God is looking for such a man or woman through whom to work. Let it be you.
Scriptures to meditate on:
James 1.5-8; 5.16; I Kings 18.43-45; Luke 18.2-8; Gal. 4.19; Rev. 5.8