Many times, we start out strong in prayer. We’re watchful enough to sense the direction of the Lord and to hear His promise about a situation. But we don’t finish strong. We don’t persevere until we see the answer.
After we’ve prayed for a while and don’t see any sign on the horizon that our prayers are being answered, we give up.
Jesus told us not to do that. He said we “ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up)” (Luke 18:1 Amp).
He said we should follow the example of the widow who kept coming and coming to the unjust judge asking for justice against her adversary. Because she was persistent, that woman finally got her answer—and she was dealing with an unjust judge! How much more can we be assured of an answer from our loving heavenly Father if we will persevere in prayer?
Of course, not every prayer requires that kind of persistence. The prayer of faith where we believe we receive that which is ours by virtue of redemption can be prayed just once. But prayers of intercession, or watching prayers, are totally different. When we pray those kinds of prayers, like the widow in Luke 18, we are contending with an adversary. We are taking a stand against Satan, thwarting his plans, resisting his interference, and opening the way for the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
To do that effectively, we must keep ourselves spiritually awake and alert. And once we have seen what the Holy Spirit is showing us, we must hold to it with perseverance until we see 100 percent victory.
I am fully persuaded that if we will watch and pray the way the Bible teaches us to do, these last days—as challenging as they are—will be the most glorious days we’ve ever known. They will not only be days of destiny; they will be the days of destinies fulfilled.
Scripture Reading: Luke 18:1 – 8
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”