“Therefore I tell you, whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive it and you shall have it.” Mark 11:24
Perhaps one of the greatest examples of persistent prayer in the Bible can be seen in the life of Hannah. Hannah desperately wanted a child. She wanted to be a mother and raise a little one to love God. It was her passion, and she prayed year after year. Then, one day, she visited the temple and prayed until she lost her voice. She prayed until she could only move her lips. She had prayed so fervently that she was exhausted. While she was praying in the temple, Eli, the Priest, saw her and reprimanded her, thinking she was drunk in the temple. She explained that she was not drunk but was in great anguish, praying for a child. God granted the desire of Hannah’s heart, and her child, Samuel, became one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament. So powerful was this boy’s life because of the covering of prevailing prayer of his mother that God said, “None of his words fell to the ground.” God was basically saying (paraphrased), “Everything he says, I will back it up. If he says it, all of Heaven will bring it to pass.” Not only that, but the Bible says that all the days of his life, the Philistines never attacked Israel. God said to Samuel’s enemies, “You cannot touch him.” That is what the prevailing prayer of a mother can do. The Bible says that Hannah named him Samuel (which in Hebrew means “asked of God”), saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.” (1 Samuel 1:20)
Daniel was also a praying man. A new law had been made that everyone was to only worship the king for a 30-day period. Daniel continued his practice of praying three times a day. So the king threw him into the lion’s den. Some of you only pray when there’s a catastrophe in life. Daniel had built a lifestyle of prayer. Being thrown into a den of hungry lions was not a panic situation for him because his prayer life was so strong that he knew God would rescue him. When they pulled him out the next day, Daniel told the king, “My God sent His angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.” (Daniel 6:22)
Jesus Himself serves as an example of prevailing prayer. He prayed all night before He chose His disciples. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed until his sweat became like drops of blood. Those closest to Jesus were so inspired by His prayer life that they said, “Teach us how to pray.” They didn’t ask Jesus to teach them how to heal or how to preach or how to walk on water. It was something about His prayers that so captivated their attention that they just wanted to learn how to pray like He prayed. They were amazed at how He spoke with the Father in such an intimate way and prayed for others with such fervor.
Watch the Full Sermon Here
