Prayer is the lifeline of every believer. Yet, more often than not, there are moments in life when answers seem delayed, when doors stay closed, and when silence from heaven tests the strength of our faith. But through persistent prayer, we not only invite God to move in our circumstances but also allow Him to work within us, shaping our hearts, strengthening our faith, and proving His faithfulness in the process. The Bible encourages us to remain steadfast through the stories of men and women who faced prolonged trials or challenges yet never gave up in prayer. It is in the persistence, not just the petitions, that we experience the transforming power of prayer. In today’s message titled “Pray Until Something Happens,” Evangelist Paul Acquah examines what God’s Word says about how persistence in prayer impacts our lives and strengthens our faith. Be blessed as you listen!
People prayed more than once to obtain results in the Bible. In 1 Kings 17:21 the Bible describes how the prophet Elijah prayed for a widow’s dead son, stretching himself on the boy three times and crying out to God until the boy’s life returned. This is a powerful illustration of Elijah’s persistent prayer and God’s miraculous restoration of life, Again the prophet Elijah prayed more than once for rain to come. He demonstrated persistence by having his servant check for a sign of rain seven times before it appeared. The events are described in 1 Kings 18:41-46 and referenced in the New Testament in James 5:17-18.
In the Book of 2 Kings Chapter 4, Elisha prayed more than once to raise the Shunammite woman’s dead son, first sending his servant Gehazi (which failed), then going himself, stretching over the boy three times, and praying until the child’s life returned, showing perseverance in prayer. This is recorded in 2 Kings 4:32-35: “When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. 33 He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord. 34 Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm. 35 Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes”.
Now let me tell you an unusual story, the only example in the New Testament where Jesus had to minister to any need more than once to affect a total healing. The Bible says in Mark 8 verses 22- 26 that Jesus came to Bethsaida and they brought a blind man to him. 22 Then at Marko Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” 25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. 26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, [d]“Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”
Why did the blind man have to be prayed for twice? I’ve heard ministers say no, one is all you need. If you have to come back a second time you’re filled with unbelief and this man when Jesus laid hands on him the first time, he said I see people, but they look like trees.
He said I can’t see the difference between the two and so Jesus laid hands on him a second time. Being a preacher of the gospel, and seeing the demonstration of God’s mighty power at work in my meetings, when I minister healing to people, I’ll pray for them two, three, four, or more times. I don’t care! I’m willing to pray for them until something happens! However, I’m not going back to God and saying, “Father, it didn’t work the first time. Let it work now, please!” No! I believe it happened because God is faithful. He gave, but something is wrong with our receivers. So, I work on it. If the devil stands in the way, I’ll shoot him again!
I’ve seen people grow in faith and come back a second time and many people say no , a second time is unbelief. God is compassionate enough, he simply says pray for him again. I’ve had people come to me a month or two later and say listen I’ve got some healing, some things are working in me but man of God, I’ve come a long way since you laid hands on me would you lay hands on me again and I thank God for the compassion and the grace and the mercy of God and I pray for them again and have seen some great things happen. Just like Jesus did with the blind man of Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26), I pray until I see the answer manifest! You need to get this attitude that God is faithful and that He’s already met your need before you ever had it. Boldness, confidence, and faith will rise in your heart as you realise that God’s supply is always greater than your need.
It was unusual for Jesus to inquire of the results as He did in Mark 8:23. The bible says
23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. But it was even more unusual that Jesus laid hands on this man a second time. Although others prayed more than once to obtain results in the Old Testament. Many of us request things from God and then look at our circumstances to see if God answered our prayers. That is walking by sight and not by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). If we can’t “see” God’s answer, then we pray again asking for the same thing. This is not the way Jesus taught us to pray and receive (Mark 11:22-24),
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
We can be certain that Jesus didn’t lay hands on this man a second time because He thought His Father hadn’t heard Him the first time. Since the man received partial sight, it is evident that God’s healing power was at work in him. Jesus was not petitioning His Father again for healing. Through His spirit, Jesus knew that unbelief was hindering a perfect manifestation of God’s power in this man, and He simply gave him another “dose” of the anointing power of God. Satan may hinder but cannot overcome someone who continues resisting him (James 4:7). We only need to petition God once for a need and then believe that we receive (Mark 11:24). If we petition (or ask) God more than once, then we didn’t really believe we received the first time. However, we can and should continue to pray until we receive our manifestation, just as Jesus did with this blind man. There is more to prayer than simply asking God for things.
We should continue to resist the devil’s hindrances by praying the prayer of agreement (Matthew 18:19), the prayer of praise (Psalms 8:2 with Matthew 21:16), the prayer of intercession (1 Timothy 2:1), the prayer of binding and loosing (Matthew 18:18), by the laying on of hands (Matthew 8:15), etc. Many times, in an effort to walk by faith, we pray for God’s power to manifest in some situation and then ignore any evidence to the contrary. That’s more faith than responding to circumstances in unbelief, but it falls short of Jesus’ example here. The best thing to do is exactly what Jesus did. We should believe that we received when we prayed to such a degree that we can confront anything to the contrary and overcome it by continuing to apply the power of God. Perseverance in prayer overcomes Satan, not God.
We’d all see greater and quicker manifestations if we weren’t so full of unbelief! Since Jesus has to use imperfect vessels like you and me, sometimes His power doesn’t flow through us as easily. Each of us has some unbelief and other junk that haven’t been worked out yet, but we shouldn’t let that stop us from doing it. Our conductivity for God’s power often increases through use. We can’t just give up if we try a few times and don’t yet see the results we desire. Even Jesus was limited in what He could do in His own hometown, because of their unbelief (Matt. 13:58). We have to keep at it. As you begin to understand, believe, and practise some of these things, your results will greatly improve!
