PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS

Memorise:
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask,
and ye shall receive, that your may be full. John
16:24
Read: John 16:23-28
16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall
ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name:
ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
16:25 These things have I spoken unto you in
proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no
more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew
you plainly of the Father.
16:26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I
say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for
you:
16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because
ye have loved me, and have believed that I came
out from God.
16:28 I came forth from the Father, and am come
into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to
the Father
Message
Children of God must cultivate the habit of
persistent prayers so that they may attain their full
potentials. The importance of prayer cannot be
overemphasised when we consider what those who
take time to pray gain. The Bible says;
"Elias was a man subject to like passions as we
are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain:
and it rained not on the earth by the space of three
years and six months. And he prayed again, and
the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth
her fruit." James 5:17-18
The prayer of Elijah that brought about the rain was
not just a five-minute prayer. He prayed and
prayed again before the rain fell. When a man of
God prays for a few minutes in the public and
miracles begin to happen, one should not be
decieved that it is the few minutes of prayer that
instigated the miracles. The fact is that, the man of
God had prayed long hours in private before the
public show of God's miraculous deeds. God, in
His Word, commands us to "Pray without ceasing."
The One who commands us to pray, definitely will
answer our prayers, if only we will obey command.
God is interested in listening to our petitions and
responding accordingly. Our Lord Jesus Christ in
our text for today says,
"Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask,
and ye shall receive, that your may be full." John
16:24.
In other words, we must not stop asking if we have
not received an answer to the petitions that we put
before God. At times, answers to our prayers are
double-crossed by the agents of darkness like in
the case of Daniel. The following importune prayer
of Daniel eventually saved the day:
"Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from
the first day that thou didst set thine heart to
understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God,
thy words were heard, and I am come for thy
words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia
withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo,
Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me;
and I remained there with the kings of Persia."
Daniel 10:12-13
Hannah prayed until something happened in her
life and so did Jabez. We must begin to pray until
the attention of God is drawn to our petition. The
Psalmist said in Psalms 30:2 that when he cried to
the Lord, the Lord healed him. This is another
testimony of someone who believed in the God that
answers prayers. My prayer for someone using this
devotional is that as you cry unto God today, He
will answer you as He answered Hannah, Jabez
and Elijah in Jesus' name.
Action Point :
Set aside quality time to pray today and you will
receive unprecedented answer to your prayers.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Romas 9:30-13:6 and Psalms
6
AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 2: O JESUS, I HAVE PROMISED.
O Jesus, I have promised,
To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me,
My Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If Thou wilt be my Guide.
Oh, let me feel Thee near me;
The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
The tempting sounds I hear;
My foes are ever near me,
Around me and within;
But, Jesus, draw Thou nearer,
And shield my soul from sin.
Oh, let me hear Thee speaking,
In accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion,
The murmurs of self-will;
Oh, speak to reassure me,
To hasten, or control;
Oh, speak, and make me listen,
Thou Guardian of my soul.
O Jesus, Thou hast promised
To all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory
There shall Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Oh, give me grace to follow,
My Master and my Friend.
Oh, let me see Thy footmarks,
And in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly
Is in Thy strength alone.
Oh, guide me, call me, draw me,
Uphold me to the end;
And then to rest receive me,