Persistent Prayer

What does it mean to be persistent in prayer? God doesn’t always answer our prayers right away, but as we pray without ceasing, our faith – which pleases God – is strengthened.

Mantu is from a village near the city of Balasore in India. He was seriously ill and as a result, his brain stopped working normally. He felt as if he would become mad. He was filled with fear and worries. He then prayed to God, sang praises and read Bible especially the encouraging verses on fear and on His presence. There was no immediate response, but he continued to pray for a few days. The Lord did intervene and he was healed.

Phulamani lives in another village nearby and has a two-year old son who fell sick. He was taken to a medical facility in Balasore for treatment. Looking at his serious condition, the concerned doctor referred him to another medical facility located farther away for better treatment. Instead of taking the child there she looked to sorcery and black magic for healing. As these efforts failed, the child was brought to church, where members began to pray for his healing. Similar to Mantu’s experience, the healing did not come immediately. But the church prayed continuously for three days. The Lord answered the prayer and healed the child.

To pray continuously for days is a trial of endurance, and of faith. Elijah, after challenging 450 false prophets of Baal and 400 false prophets of Asherah at Mt. Carmel and demonstrating God’s power, told Ahab to go eat and drink, even though there was no sign yet of rain. The prophet then began to pray for rain, which did not come right away. Seven times Elijah asked his servant to go and look for clouds towards the sea. It was only on the seventh time that a cloud appeared. But God honored Elijah’s persistence in prayer.

We are grateful for these precious testimonies from the field. They remind us of God’s open invitation to all for a deep and rich prayer life and inspire us to not be discouraged while waiting upon the Lord.