PRAYUNTILSOMETHINGHAPPENS

By

Felicia K. Gyang

Founder/President, Total Woman Foundation, Jos-Nigeria

INTRODUCTION

This Conference is tagged Operation PUSH (Pray Until Something Happens). This concept was conceived as we meditated on the need for women to fully develop their God given capacity to pray.

The picture is that of a woman in labor who is in great pain and is pushing to give birth. Pushing is the last stage of labor and it requires effort, energy and a good knowledge of the techniques. Prayer should not be a casual exercise but it requires seriousness, perseverance and patience. It is prayer that does not take ‘no’ for an answer. It is prayer that comes out of a great prayer burden.

Jesus is our perfect example of pushing prayer. At the garden of Gethsemane he prayed earnestly and his sweat was like drops of blood. (Luke 22:41-44). During his life he offered prayers with loud cries and tears (Hebrews 5:7-9).

CHARACTERISTICS OF PUSHING PRAYER

(1).PERSISTENCE

Pushing Prayer does not give up no matter the situation. In Luke 18 Jesus told the disciples a parable of the persistent widow who got justice because of her importunity. Jesus taught them not to faint or give up in prayer because even God listens to his children who cry to Him day and night (Luke 18:1, 7, 8). Persistent gives God no rest or peace until he answers (Isaiah 62:1, 6, 7).

(2).BIRTHING PRAYER

This is prayer that will not let go until it delivers or achieves its goal. This means there is a period of conception, labor and delivery. Many have conceived prayer burdens, yet they are not patient enough to get to delivery point. Many visions and dreams have been aborted for failure to birth in prayer.

Prophet Isaiah asks a question in Isaiah 66:8 ‘can a country be born in a day? Yet when due process is followed i.e. after laborZion delivers her children. Birthing prayer goes through a period of pain, groaning, anguish but as soon as the child is born, there is joy and all the pain is forgotten. It is prayer sown in tears but reaping time brings joy (Psalm 126:5-6).

Are you pregnant with burdens, concerns, dreams that need to be birthed in prayer? You need to begin to groan and labor until you get an answer.

(3).FERVENT PRAYER

Praying Until Something Happens or Pushing Prayer is fervent i.e. intense, enthusiastic prayer. God requires seriousness on our part in order to get answers to our prayers. It is the effective fervent prayer of the righteous that avails much. (James 5:16).God wants you to begin to be aggressive in your approach and see if He will not answer. Elijah prayed earnestly that it will not rain and for 3½ years there was no rain. He prayed seven times before the rains came (IKings 18:43-444).

Fervent prayer adopts different strategies to show the level of seriousness of the person praying. These strategies include prayer and fasting, all night prayers, all day prayers, going to solitary places for quiet and concentration. Jesus Himself adopted these different methods to show us how serious we should take our prayers.

(4).CONTINUOUS PRAYER

The Bible commands us to pray continually or without ceasing (I Thess. 5:17). Prayer should therefore be made a habit, a lifestyle. It is having a prayerful heart and spirit keep on keeping on in prayer and the answer will surely come. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7. Keep on asking and you will find, keep on seeking and you will find, keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. Prayer should be just as important as breath is to the human body. The early church continued in prayer and reading the word and God continued to add to their numbers with great signs and wonders following (Acts 6:4).

(5).DESPERATE PRAYER

Desperate prayeris praying with a passion. It is like sending an SOS to God and telling Him to act and act fast. David knew this kind of prayer very well. He describes it as a dear panting for streams of water in Psalm 42:1.This prayer is usually motivated by a great need, problem that needs God’s intervention. It is when you have reached the end of the rope and prayer is the last resort. Hannah prayed desperately when she wanted a child. Queen Esther put her life on the line when she interceded for the children of Israel.

(6).VIOLENT PRAYER

Violent prayer takes by force what belongs to you. You are ready to fight every enemy or obstacle using every spiritual weapon. We are in spiritual battle and the weapons usedare not be carnal, but have power to demolish strongholds (IICor. 10:3-6).Some of the weapons available include the name of Jesus, the sword of the spirit i.e. the word of God, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the belt of truth and shoes of the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:10-18).

(7).WAITING ON THE LORD

Another characteristic of Pushing Prayer is waiting patiently in faith until the answer comes. Those who wait on the Lord will always have their strength and will have no cause to be weak in faith (Isaiah 43:31). Those that are patient will always get God’s, attention.

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1.

BIBLE EXAMPLES

(i)Abraham pleaded with God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of the righteous. He continued in pleading until the number of the righteous went down to 10 (Genesis 18:20-33).

(ii)The Syro-Phoenician Woman’s faith was commended by Jesus. The disciples told Him to get rid of the woman who was bothering him about the case of her demon possessed daughter. Jesus told her he couldn’t give the children’s bread to the dogs Gentiles. She said even the crumbs of His blessings would solve her problem. Her daughter was healed and she was praised for her persistence.

(iii)Hannah had a reproach of barrenness. This meant that her husband could divorce her under Jewish law. To make matter worse her mate Penninah continued to provoke her. She became very sorrowful and even the love of her husband Elkanah could not comfort her.

She decided to take her case to God. She found a quiet place in Shiloh where he poured her heart to God telling Him of all her pains and troubles. After that prayer she went away and ate and drank. She believed that God has heard her even before she saw the manifestation (I Samuel 1:18).

CONCLUSION

To push in prayer is a must until God moves. The question is whether you have been praying in this manner. Could this be the reason why your prayer life has been dry and you have failed to receive answers to your prayers? Why has revival tarried? Why is it that dreams and visions have remained unfulfilled. Women must arise and go that extra mile until we see God’s power and glory being manifested in our generation.

Do you want to join the army of praying women? You must acknowledge your failures and ask God to give you a prayer burden and with the help of the Holy Spirit you will start Praying Until Something Happens.

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