CONDITIONS TO ANSWERED PRAYER
PART 8. HOW MANY TIMES ONE SHOULD PRAY FOR THE SAME THING?
The Word of God says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Mt. 7:7). In Luke 18:2-8, we read the Parable of the Unrighteous Judge and the Persistent Widow: “‘There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’’ Then the Lord said, ”Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him…? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily”.
These passages show that the answers to some prayers will be delayed, and it will even seem these prayers will never be answered. However, the Word of God says they will be answered; they will, if they are according to God’s will. “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways’, says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.’” (Is. 55.8-11).
Habakkuk 2:3 says, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry”.
The most important condition is that the prayer request must be according to a promise received from the Lord, and the ways to obtain the promise must not conflict with the will of God.
For three years, there was severe drought throughout Israel. Elijah, the prophet of the Lord, received a prophetic word about abundant rain, and told King Ahab, “‘Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.’ So Ahab went up to eat and drink” (1 Kgs. 18:41-42).
Elijah went up to Mount Carmel to pray for the fulfillment of the prophecy received from the Lord. He cried out to God six times, but received no answer. Elijah was sure that the Lord spoke to him, so he did not give up and prayed again. He received the answer after praying for seven times. “Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, ‘There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!’ So he said, ‘Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’’ Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain” (1 Kgs. 18:44-45).
The answer to a prayer can be delayed for different reasons. From the first part of our teaching series called “Conditions To Answered Prayer” we list the conditions necessary to receive answers to our prayers. And still, other conditions can be added.
Kenneth Hagin wrote that he prayed for his brother’s salvation for years, but saw no results. One day, when he again cried out to God for his brother to get saved, the Holy Spirit led him to pray according to Ephesians 1:17-18, in which Paul interceded for the Church in Ephesus, so that their spiritual eyes were enlightened and they came to know the calling and the blessings they had in Jesus Christ: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”. Hagin prayed and asked the Father in the name of Jesus Christ for his brother’s salvation, that the eyes of his understanding might be enlightened, so that he could come to know the purpose of his life on the earth. After that prayer, his brother got saved.
Another minister speaks about a very important condition. When someone intercedes for a situation in another person’s life before the Father and in the name of Jesus Christ, the devil brings up all the sins of that person, because of which their situation exists and remains. So each intercessor must first ask God to forgive the sins of the people they pray for. Only after their sins are forgiven, the intercessor can expect answers to their prayers.
For example, when Nehemiah prayed for the people of Israel, he said, “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses” (Neh. 1:5-7). It was after Nehemiah pleaded for forgiveness of his sins and the sins of his nation that he received God’s support for restoration of Jerusalem.
It is written about Abraham in Romans 4:18-21: “Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations… And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” Abraham had a son, Isaak, through whom he became the father of many nations.
A person might think that God delays His answer. However, God perfectly knows the times and seasons. Persistence, faith and confidence in God’s promise give results. Besides, the continual prayers and the process of receiving the desired answer takes them deeper into the heavenly realities, and they discover God in more magnificent ways, of which they would be ignorant if not those prayers.
Thus, there are problems that will be solved after one single prayer, and there are other problems that require continual prayers. While praying, the Holy Spirit speaks to the person and following the leading of the Spirit, they can understand the timing of their answer – at that very moment, in a little while, or after continual prayers.
The Holy Spirit can speak in prayer and reveal that the request has been heard and there is no need to pray about it any longer, but the answer will be given in months or maybe years, which depends on the nature of the request and God’s good, acceptable and perfect will (Rom. 12:2). When those who pray receive such an answer from the Holy Spirit, they must wait in faith showing no unbelief in word or action. Rather, they are to wait for the fulfillment of the promise keeping the good confession of faith.
I will tell you a couple of testimonies from my life to further explain this.
Four years ago, by the blessing of the Lord, I received an apartment. It was in terrible condition and required thorough repairs. Some people advised me to refuse it or even to sell it. I prayed and obeyed the Holy Spirit. The Lord told me, “I am the Alpha and the Omega”. With these words, the Holy Spirit showed me that my Heavenly Father is the One Who has given me the apartment and He will take care of its repairs and furnishing. All I had to do was to hold firmly to that promise.
My monthly income is usually enough for food, payments for the utilities and sometimes buying clothes and shoes. From each income, I give tithes, according to the Word of God: “‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this’, says the Lord of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.’” (Mal. 3:10). No matter what needs I have, I always give financial offerings and gifts to the Lord. The Lord is always faithful, and His mercy is renewed each day (Lam. 3:22-23).
Empowered by faith, I had the inner walls, parquetry flooring, as well as doors and windows completely removed. I had a promise from my FAITHFUL GOD: “I am the Alpha and the Omega”. He is the beginning and the end. He started blessing me by giving the apartment, and in four months, step by step, He provided the amount of money necessary for repairing and furnishing it.
In another instance, I was praying for my calling. I asked the Lord to open the eyes of my mind and to show me the calling through which I could glorify Him even more. I told the Lord that I would pray until the Holy Spirit speaks and prepares a way for my calling. During my everyday prayers, I spent an hour only for speaking in the tongues of the Holy Spirit. I told God, “Lord, I come before You and pray again and again in the name of Jesus Christ that my spiritual eyes open up and I find out the calling You have for me”. I want to mention that I was praying in this way while I was being faithful in my first calling in the Social Ministry. For 23 years, we realized a number of charitable projects helping thousands of orphaned children, bedridden persons and socially deprived ones. In my heart I was sure that I had another calling through which I could glorify the name of the Lord even more.
I regret that I did not mark the day from which I started to pray for my second calling, and so I cannot say exactly how long I prayed – for five or six months. However, I am sure that it was more than four months. While praying, I followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and realized that He was changing my character, environment, habits…
One evening, when I was praying again, I heard the Holy Spirit speak. The Lord wonderfully revealed the calling He prepared for me even before I came to know Him. To tell the truth, if I knew that it had to do with the ministry gift of teaching and having a blog in three languages, I would not pray that passionately, but would be silent and confused with fear. Praise our Lord! Even before forming our bones, He knew in what area we would be totally depending on Him, magnify His name and display His faithfulness, love and mercy to people. He knows the calling which we will carry out in happiness and delight.
During my prayers, the Holy Spirit not only lead me by changing my mentality and character, but also prepared a team of assistants and paved the way to give the messages I received from Him to people. God’s will is good, acceptable and perfect. People must not avoid continual prayers, but be diligent to get into the will of the Lord and be even more diligent to keep and enjoy the fruit of their victory provided by the Cross of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.