When I speak about prayer I get very excited because I have seen many miracles as result of my prayers.
Many miracles happened instantly, I just prayed and the miracle happened as soon I finished my prayer.
I could share now dozens of real testimonies of prayers which were answered instantly.
But the majority of miracles that I saw happening, happened after many days of prayer!
It would be so good if all our problems were solved with just one prayer ! But it’s not how it normally happens.
Today I want to show in the Bible the power of persevering prayer !
Some people say that it is lack of faith to pray more than once !
No, It’s lack of faith stop praying because you didn’t receive your answer the first time you prayed !
I believe in the prayer of faith but I also believe in the power of persevering prayer.
Persistence in prayer is so vital in achieving breakthroughs.
Why does it require persistent prayer to get a breakthrough, an answer or a miracle ?
Why do we have to be persistent and persevering ?
Why certain miracles happens instantly and certain miracles take time and some of them a long time – days , months or years !
If you read the Bible you are going to see that some miracles are instant, some take few days to take place and some a long time as it happened with Abraham – it took 25 years !
I want to make it clear that I don’t have all the answers about why God doesn’t answer our prayers.
When I don’t understand I say Lord I don’t understand and sometimes I get some answers, sometimes I don’t, but I’m not going to give up because I didn’t get an answer !
Let’s start talking about Jesus.
“He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.”
Mark 6:5-6
Here it says that Jesus could not work any miracles because of their unbelief.
Here is what is interesting to me : The Bible says Jesus could not do any miracles there, but then it says He healed a few people !
I Don’t know what’s God’s measuring and what it takes to go from healing to a miracle !
But it’s very clear : no miracles, not one, but a few healings !
Maybe some headaches, some allergies, or running noses stopped, I don’t know !
But I do know this : there were no miracles but a few healings !
This follows a simple logic : There was some power flowing from Jesus because few people were healed!
The Problem was not Jesus , we know that ! He had all the power but their unbelief was shutting it down. But enough of it was getting through to work a little healing but not enough of it was getting through to work a miracle !
That means that some power was flowing to heal somebody of some minor stuff but there wasn’t enough of it flowing to get a miracle ! This is a real simple logic !
We need a certain amount of it for this but you need more for that.
This principle for me is why it takes some while to get most prayers answered.
Most of the time is not just asking the Father to do something but rather a matter of releasing enough power in the Spirit to get that thing accomplished.
Sometimes it “appears” that God finally decided to do something because suddenly the miracle happened after years of prayers !
What I believe happened is that enough power has been released through prayer to accomplish the miracle!
When we look at stories in the Bible, why did it sometimes take persistent prayer for people to get an answer?
Like Elisha for example !
Seven times he prayed. We know that it was God’s will , it was God’s time to send the rain , it was God’s idea to send rain , this was all God’s initiative .
But Elisha had to pray seven times before it came. Why? Obviously he’s not trying to talk God into it ! Because it was God’s will !
The only explanation I can come up with is every time he prayed there was more power of the Spirit being released.
James said about Elisha’s prayer: “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
James 5:16
There is an energy, a power in our prayer that is being released!
And this power is not mine , it’s not ours , it’s not the power of positive thinking, it’s the Power of The Holy Spirit being released from our lives.
The Amplified Version Bible says the same thing :
The earnest continued prayer of a righteous person makes tremendous power available, is dynamic and it’s working. (James 5:6 Amplified Version)
This is why we should be persistent in prayer: Our continued and persistent prayer release the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
“God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it.”
John Wesley
Everything that God wants to do in this earth He will do through our prayers !
Since God works on Earth through people , (not independently of people) , He is waiting until human beings take action and through their prayer, power is released little by little until the miracle can be performed.
Another testimony:
Years ago Fabiana (my wife) had strong pain and bleeding and I prayed for her and nothing happened.
No instant miracle, usually you don’t get instant miracles !
Most of the time it’s a persistent and persevering prayer , you have to fight the fight of Faith until you see the miracle.
Then she went to the doctor and he said she had a cyst in her ovary the size of 8 centimetres and she needed surgery to cut it out.
Then I talked to Fabiana , let’s pray for a month every day then you go to the doctor and have another test.
Every day I prayed and anointed Fabiana with oil for a month and the pain and bleeding started decreasing. After one month we went together to the doctor to another ultrasound and the doctor said: Good news for you , there is no more cyst , it’s totally gone !
In this particular case she was healed in a process , every day the power of God moving in her life .
You can be used by God in the same way , because the power of God is available to everyone! But we need persistent prayer !
- Daniel had to pray 21 days before the Angel made it through.
- Jesus prayed for three hours in the garden before the breakthrough came !
- Alisha had to get on that bed boy and breathe into him three times before life came! (1King 17:21)
- Jesus had to pray for a blind man twice before the complete miracle came (Mark 8:22-26)
Releasing the power of the Spirit
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,”
Ephesians 3:20
God’s can do anything we can ask or think of ! He can do more than you can imagine.
I don’t need to tell you that the “Power Source” is not the problem !
That’s the whole point of that verse !
The Source of Power is not the problem , but he goes on to say this exceeds abundantly above all that you ask or think that God can do, it will happen through the power that works through us !
According to the power that works in us and through us !
The very literal translation of the Greek New Testament is : He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to measure !
The Greek Word here :according is “Kata” which means measure “In the measure of the power that is operating in us.”
The Word “kata” also implies, “distribution” So here is another way to say this verse :
He is going to do this exceedingly above all that we ask or think through the power that is distributed by us ! Ephesians 3:20
There are two passages in the book of Revelation chapter 5 and chapter 8 that talks about bowls in Heaven. Not bowl but bowls , and I believe all of us have one !
The bible says that God stores our prayers in these bowls.
“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 God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, 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.”
Revelation 8:3-5
God asked the Angels to get the prayers of God’s people and put them in that bowl and mix them with the fire from His altar and pour it onto earth. When they do so, thunder , lightning and earthquakes take place. So He’s got a way to store it up !
Sometimes when we pray , God says Marcio needs this over here , let me see his bowl !
God says : we got no problem here with the fire , there is a lot of fire here ! But how is our bowl ? When God looks it is just drip , drip!
Thats because you have not given enough prayer for him to work with!
Some of you have been praying, standing in faith for a good while!
Maybe you are thinking that God is not listening you !
But your bowl is probably around 90% full !
But the enemy wants you to give up , Satan wants you give up before you receive that breakthrough.
God wants you to persevere till enough of His power has been released from you !
This is why the prayer of agreement is such a good thing because there is a multiplication of God’s power.
We need committed , determined , systematic prayer not just one-off prayers !
We have to say : I’m here to do this and I will pray till I see the answer !
And God will do it through you !
My brothers and sisters keep storing up power in your bowl because your prayers have not been wasted ! Not one tear has been wasted ! God has seen your tears !
Psalm 56 says your tears are all in that bottle, stored there !
“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”
Psalms 56:8
Keep filling the bowl for that loved one who doesn’t know God and for that situation, that miracle you need and you are asking for !
I urge and challenge you to have a life of prayer !
To come to our prayer meetings in the mornings, to be in our prayer meetings on Saturday, to come to our period of intercession before the service , and also to have your time of prayer at home.
May God bless you