Persistence in Prayer 2

Persistence in prayer guaranteed rain after Israel’s drought in 1 Kings 18:41-45. Elijah prayed at least seven times with his head tucked  in between his knees asking God for rain. Seven times, his servant came and told him, “Well, this prayer’s a little off. No rain sir. In actual fact, the weather is even drier than when you first started. Don’t you want to call this prayer session off? After all this epic activity on Carmel, I’m parched and need a drink of water in this sweltering dry heat. I’m sure you do too. Its a pity you wasted all those gallons of water dousing the altar a few hours ago.” Seven times he prayed in an awkward position. He prayed what James later referred to as an effectual, fervent prayer. Finally, the discouraged servant went to a vantage point on the mountain and saw a tiny, non-promising cloud, only the size of a man’s hand in the distance. That day, it rained cats and dogs after a three and a half years of drought. I can imagine that the rain drenched that servant. Elijah had the anointing to run ahead of the chariot, Ahab had imported thoroughbreds, but this servant had neither. He must have gawked at the sky when the first drops of cool water fell from heaven in response to his master’s persistent prayer.

Don’t give up child of God. Your answer is on the way. The bible records in the 10th chapter of the book of Daniel that Daniel persistently prayed and fasted for 21 days. His answer was released from heaven on the first day of his fast, but it took persistence in prayer and spiritual warfare before he had an angelic visitation with his answer. Don’t stop praying at the edge of your breakthrough.

Persistent prayer is a manifestation of faith. Faith however does not keep praying after a witness that it is done. Once you have prayed to the point that the peace of God guards your heart and mind (Phil 4:6-7), you need to just thank God in faith that it is done. Once God has spoken to you and assured your heart, stop asking. Praying beyond this point is a manifestation of faithlessness. Balaam prayed in Numbers 22 and had an instruction from God. In his greed and faithlessness, he returned to the place of prayer to ask again and got an answer according to the idol of his heart. There is a point when what you ask is done and God assures you so. Stop asking, keep praising.

Certain teachers have pedalled a misconstrued version of Jesus teaching in Matthew 6:7 and 8 to mean that we should never repeat what we say in prayer. Never pray twice about an issue. God’s not deaf.  Well, Jesus himself in Gethsemane repeatedly returned to his prayer place and prayed again the same words. The qualifying word is vain.

 Mat 6:7-8 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

 The New Testament Greek for vain repetitions is the word battologeō  derived from Battos (a proverbial stammerer; supposedly Battus, a king of Cyrene, who is said to have stuttered or Battus, a Greek author of tedious and wordy poems) and means to stutter, that is, (by implication) to prate tediously using vain repetitions. The qualifying word is vain. The word means meaningless verbiage; babbling. Various  translators have used phrases like ‘don't ramble’, ‘do not use many meaningless words’, ‘do not babble like the heathen’, ‘do not heap up empty phrases’, ‘do not use a lot of meaningless words’, ‘do not use needless repetitions’, ‘be not garrulous’. The word means to repeat the same things over and over, to use many idle words, to babble, to prate vainly.

 To repeat any words without meaning them, is most certainly vain repetition. To think I will be heard for my much speaking is most certainly vain repetition. In God’s ears, 20 Hail Marys and 15 recitations of the Lord’s Prayer may be vain repetition. Even in indigenous African Pentecostal tradition, a man shaking his head and repeating the Yoruba phrase, “Oluwa se be” (translated “Lord, do it that way”), or repeatedly chanting, “Daa ni’de, daa ni’de, daa ni’de” (“deliver him”) for over an hour may be vain repetition. Even our traditional prayer benediction after every service of “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit…” and “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me…” may become vain repetition. Several believers punctuate their prayers with ‘in Jesus name’ as a meaningless, recurring cliché rather than as a deliberate declaration of access. That may be vain repetition. Others say ‘Father Lord, I thank you, Father Lord for all you’ve done Father Lord, for, Father Lord, your loving kindness, Father Lord. Hear us, Father Lord for Father Lord in Jesus name, Father Lord, we have prayed. Vain repetition. If you do not mean it, do not say it. In prayer, God does not just want words to roll off our lips. He wants us to be intentional.

So no more vain repetitions in prayer; only potent, deliberate, intentional, inspired repetitions that underscore persistence. Keep praying. Keep seeking God- for everyone who keeps asking will be given, anyone who keeps seeking will find, and to the one who keeps knocking, the door will be opened. P.U.S.H. Pray Until Something Happens.

Prayer: Father in the name of Jesus, I understand that you are pleased when I consistently pursue you in prayer. You know what I need even before I ask, but you have left me an example in your Son of persistence in prayer. Help me to be persistent in prayer. Teach me to seek you continually. I break the spirit of discouragement. Help me to keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking until I receive what you have for me. Give me the grace of importunity, shameless overboldness, and impudence which makes me approach your throne to ask again and again. Forgive me for and break the patterns of vain repetition in my prayer walk. Help me to be intentional with you. In Jesus Name, Amen.