Pray Without Ceasing

And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. —Galatians 6:9

The other night in our men’s meeting while we were praying, the Lord showed me something about perseverance in prayer. I have often wondered why some of our prayers are answered immediately while others take days, months, or even years to be answered. He reminded me of Rocky Balboa. Rocky did not knock out Apollo Creed with one punch. Apollo was a powerful adversary. Rocky took a licking but kept on ticking. He kept punching when every fiber of his being told him to quit. But he kept hanging on … round after round.

In the final round, Rocky hit Apollo and hurt him. His knees buckled. Suddenly, adrenalin and hope flooded Rocky’s soul. He began to punch with renewed power and energy. Finally, with all his might he landed one last blow with such force that both he and Apollo hit the canvas simultaneously. Both tried desperately to get up. Apollo didn’t make it. Rocky stood at the count of 9. Rocky persevered and won!

I guess you wonder, “What’s the point of this story.” Revelation 5:8 says, “He came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty‑four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” Revelation 8:3‑5 goes on to say, “Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.  The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.  Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”

In heaven, there are bowls which collect our prayers. When those bowls are full, God mixes them with fire and hurls them to earth. These are prayers answered and filled with the power of Almighty God. Whenever the time is right, and there are enough prayers to fill the bowls, God releases His power and accomplishes His purposes.

God takes the same fire that burned on Mt. Sinai… the same fire that consumed Elijah’s water and rocks on Mt. Carmel… the same fire that fell at Pentecost… the same fire that destroyed His enemies… the very fire of our God Who is a consuming fire, and mixes it with our prayers and pours it out on the earth. Lightning. Thunder. Earthquakes. The earth shakes at the sound of His voice. The nations tremble before Him. The idols of man crash at the feet of the Lord our God.

Do you see now why we must keep on praying no matter what? There are various levels of power needed for different situations. For example, can you light a flashlight with 2 flashlight batteries? Yes. Can you light a city with 2 flashlight batteries? No. Different situations require different power levels. That’s why the disciples could cast out some demons but were unable to cast out the demon in the boy after Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration.

Let me encourage you as God has encouraged me. Don’t think that your prayers are in vain, or that God is reluctant to answer. Picture your prayers like a pump air rifle. The more you pump the lever, the more pressure builds and the more powerfully the BB is hurled. Every prayer is like a pump on the air rifle. Every prayer builds up power and pressure. When God knows that the power is sufficient to overcome the adversary, He mixes those pumped-up prayers with His holy fire and hurls that bullet to earth, striking the enemy in the heart and setting the captives free, opening the eyes of the blind and healing the sick.

That’s what happened when Paul and Silas were in jail singing and praising God. Worship ascended… God anointed it… the bowls filled… God poured it out… the earth shook… their shackles fell off… the jailer was saved… and many were born again in Philippi.

Don’t give up, Beloved. Every prayer adds power and fills your bowl a little bit more. The more you pray the faster your bowl fills. Pray without ceasing. And don’t faint. Like Rocky, all God asks from us is to be standing when the bell rings at the end of the last round. He’ll do the rest. And remember… we stand tallest when on our knees.

Keep your guard up… and keep punching! I just saw the devil’s knees buckle!

P.S. Don’t forget that this Thursday, May 2nd is the National Day of Prayer.

Blessings,

Kenny