Praying Through

John Hyde was one of the most incredible Christian prayer warriors to ever walk the earth. He had dedicated his entire life to furthering the Gospel among the lost. He also knew that the only way He could ever succeed was if he was a man of prayer.

So he prayed. He would go for weeks at a time, fasting and interceding strenuously while his mission held conferences. He fought on his knees, and he saw victory in ways I can't even imagine. As his ministry progressed, God gave him the promise one year that He would use him to save one person per day. The next year, it was two. The next year, three. It continued until John Hyde had the promise from God that he would save four souls per day; and that promise was perfectly fulfilled, if not exceeded, every single time. This man was built in prayer, and the results of the faith in his life were clear.

John Hyde didn't die a normal death. He suffered from an unusual heart condition. He prayed so hard that his heart actually moved from one side of his chest to the other. When I first heard his story, my only thought was, I want to be able to pray like that.

My prayer life is so weak. I made the commitment earlier this year to intercede on my knees every day, but that doesn't mean every day is a powerful time of communion with God. My heart and my faith are so weak, and sometimes my prayers feel like they will come to nothing.

Ellerslie pastor, Eric Ludy, gave a sermon a few years ago, about the concept of "praying through"; the resolve to fight on your knees until you see an answer, and to refuse to give up until you see God come through. At first, this concept seems unsettling. What if it's not God's will to answer?  What if we're praying the wrong way?  Isn't it wrong to keep pressing in, when God hasn't answered, and may not ever answer?

At first, these seem to be legitimate concerns. But, at their core, they undermine the fundamental nature of Christ-built prayers. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, "Ask and it shall be given to you".  We have the assurance in Christ that God hears our prayers, and desires to give to those who seek Him.  The key to answered prayer is given later on, in John 15:7, when Jesus expands on this idea: "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done until you."

If we are in Christ, and His words abide in us, it changes everything. It alters the way we view the world; it affects the way we perceive those around us; it transforms our minds and everything in our being, and conforms us to His image. Our thoughts become His thoughts; our words become His words; our prayers become His prayers. When we are in Christ, our prayers are no longer about furthering our own kingdom, but about seeing His come to earth. We aren't fighting with Him; we're fighting for Him. We're partnering with Him to see His name made known. In the words of E.M. Bounds:

"The prayers of God's saints are the capital stock in heaven by which Christ carries on His great work upon earth. The great throes and mighty convulsions on earth are the results of these prayers. Earth is changed, revolutionized, angels move on more powerful, more rapid wings, and God's policy is shaped as the prayers are more numerous, more efficient. It is true that the mightiest successes that come to God's cause are created and carried on by prayer."

If we are praying "God-prayers", we have the assurance that, in the name of Jesus, He will answer. But it may not be right away; we are called to keep pressing into Him, and persevering in prayer until we see an answer. A picture of this is seen in 1 Kings 18, when Elijah prays again for rain to return to the land. He could hear the sound of rain in heaven; He knew God was sending it, but that reality was not yet manifested on earth. So he prayed. And six different times, there was no visible answer. But Elijah was not shaken; He had faith, and continued to pray. On the seventh time, the rain came.

My faith is so weak; I know how hard it is to pray, believing. But I also know that His strength is made perfect in weakness. Even the most shallow, incompetent prayer lives can be transformed into a testimony of what God can do. My heart echoes the cry of the Roman centurion: "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

He answers the cry of His people. My God has promised, and He cannot lie.

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Worship Song: 

"Grace Like Rain",
by Todd Agnew