THE MYSTERY OF ANSWERED PRAYERS SERIES (1)

PERSISTENCE IS KEY

In this series, we will be studying various elements that makeup a prayer that God answers. Many at times, believers invest so much time in prayers but all lead to no effect. In this series, we will be looking at what such prayers lack and the unwanted elements that hinders the desired result.

Persistence is one of the key elements of answered prayers. When a man hold God to his word and persistently seek him, there will be miracle.

“ Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.” MATTHEW 7:7 AMP

From the Amplified bible, we are to ask and keep on asking, then we will receive. Our persistence in prayer bring God to the position of being “the only one that can provide solution to the problem” and he will function as we have regarded him.

“And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.  So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,  And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.  And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.” 1 Kings 18:41‭-‬44 KJV

For three years, there was drought in the land for it had not rained, and God spoke to Elijah that He will send rain unto the earth. From the passage above, Elijah declared to the king that there will be an abundance of rain, then he went up to the mountain, cast himself down and prayed fervently seven times in which after each round, he sends his servant to look up and check if there be any cloud of rain. After the first six rounds of prayer, nothing seem to happen, but after the seventh time, then a cloud of rain was formed.

Elijah didn’t relax because God spoke or because he (a prophet) had declared it, he prayed persistently for the manifestation.

“And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.  And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” Luke 18:38‭-‬39 KJV

This is the story of a blind beggar that cried to Jesus for help, as he cried, he was rebuked by those around him and was asked to be quiet, but he cried louder and louder persistently until Jesus stopped and the blind beggar received his sight. If he had stopped, he would have forfeited his miracle.

Prayer is like trying to break a huge stone with a sledge hammer. At first, you hit the stone with the hammer several times and it seem not to be affected by the hammer.  It will get to a time when you have the stone a final hit and it will shatter into pieces. It isn’t just that final hit that did justice to the stone, every hit has its impact on the stone, but the final hit is what produced the manifestation.

Persistence in prayer is not a display of doubt but a sign of total dependence on God. Keep knocking on that door and it shall be opened unto you.

                                ………..GOD BLESS YOU