Persistence in Prayer Pays

DAVID SPENCER

Panama

(With permission from Church Growth International) (Not for sale)

 

All of us know the story in First Kings 18 very well. It is talking about Elijah being on Mt. Carmel and how the prophets of Baal were asking their gods to bring fire down on the altar.

 

Verse 29: "And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded."

 

Verse 30: "And Elijah said unto all the people, come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down."

 

Notice in verse 30, something very important happens. The altar is repaired. That is so important. If our altars are in ruins, we need to be willing to repair them. That means there are priorities that are not negotiable. It means if we are going to be men and women of God, we must spend time with God. We can only be men of God as we are disciplined.

 

Three things happened in the above two verses:

 

The altar was repaired.

 

The fire came.

 

God brought the answer.

 

Forty days before I was 40 years old, God sent me to a certain island. I spent 40 days out there seeking the Lord.

 

Two months before this, I had been invited to visit Cuba and preach. I knew before that it would be impossible to go to Cuba, if God did not intervene. So, I sought the Lord diligently. I would get up at 3:00 a.m. and pray until 8:30 a.m. Then read my Bible until 12:00 noon. From noon until 1:00 p.m., I would pray again. From 1:00 p.m. till 5:00 p.m.; I would read again, and then pray for another hour. About 9:00 p.m. I would read the Bible again for an hour. I followed this rigid schedule for 40 days.

 

I don't recommend that people fast for 40 days unless God tells you to do it. I don't think it is very easy to do something like that. In fact, this was one of the most glorious but painful experiences of my life.

 

During this time, I prevailed in prayer. Before the 40 days were over, I knew that I was going to go to Cuba. It was not because I had the visa in my hands, but I just knew it in my heart.

 

When I returned to Panama City after 40 days, I went to the Embassy to find out if I could go to Cuba. At the counter, they told me there was no visa for me. But I kept going back because I knew I had already won the battle during those 40 days, and I persisted in this matter.

 

Every day I would go to the Embassy, and they would tell me, "No visa."

 

But, when you prevail in prayer you don't go by what you see. There is a faith that goes beyond what we can feel or see. For over a week I kept returning to the Embassy every day for my visa. Finally, they gave me a visa. It was the fourth visa of its kind since Castro had taken power in Cuba.

 

I had 14,000 people praying every day for my wife Bonnie and me. We went into Cuba and God moved in an extraordinary way. People were healed.

 

By the time I had finished my 40 days, I would feel so much of the power God in my life. I don't know what you experience in your own life, but when I got through with those 40 days, I felt complete peace but felt that in myself I had no power.

 

Yet, when I prayed, powerful things would happen because God had a chance to empty me of myself. God answered my prayer and allowed me to go into Cuba. I had taken all kinds of clothing and television equipment with me. The equipment was all confiscated, but I just knew that God was going to allow me to get all that equipment out of customs.

 

I waited for three days. Finally, I said, "God, I am disappointed in You. You called me to come into Cuba. You answered my prayer and the prayers of 13,000-14,000 people. I need my material and am claiming it in the Name of Jesus to get that equipment out of customs." It never happened. One of the important things is to be able to pray, "Not my will but thine be done."

 

Remember in the third chapter of Daniel when the three Hebrew children said, "God will deliver us. But, if he does not…" What happens when God does not deliver us? What happens when we pray and God chooses to do something else? And, it does not figure out the way that we thought He was going to work?

 

God, the Father, did not answer the prayers of Jesus. Jesus had spent all night in prayer saying, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me."

 

A friend of mine named Loren Cunningham was director for Youth With a Mission. He was in Paris and wanted to go to Switzerland. He came up to the counter at the airport. He said, "I need to get on this plane to go to Switzerland." They looked into the computer and said, "We are sorry but you don't have any reservations." He said, "Yes, I do have reservations. I have had reservations for one year."

 

Then he got angry. He said, "I don't care who you have to bump off the plane, but I am getting on this plane." The lady behind the counter said, "No, you are not getting on this plane." Cunningham said, "Yes, I am getting on this plane."

 

Finally, the lady said, "No, you are not getting on this plane, and that is all there is to it."

 

They got Cunningham a hotel, and he went there. He prayed, "God I prayed and now I want You to give me a place on this plane. God, what is wrong? Why aren't You answering me? You know that last night I had to be in Switzerland."

 

The next morning at 8:00, Cunningham returned to the airport. The lady behind the counter greeted him. She showed him the newspaper. That plane he was supposed to be on had crashed.

 

Sometimes we pray, but we don't know how to pray. That is why the spirit has to make intercession for us with groaning that cannot be uttered. Cunningham says, "I never push God any more. If God does not want me on a plane, I just relax."

 

It is important to understand certain concepts in prayer. I believe in spite of the fact that sometimes we don't pray correctly, God will protect us. But I really believe that sometimes we don't receive an answer to our prayers because we are not persistent enough.

 

Can you imagine the Syro-Phoenecian woman? Jesus did not even answer her at first. Then He calls her a little dog.

 

Two times in the New Testament it says that Jesus marveled. One of these times was with the centurion when He said, "I have not seen so much faith in all of Israel and in this woman because she persisted." He said, "Oh woman, great is your faith."

 

In Genesis 18, Abraham was praying and said, "Lord, if there are 50 people that are saved and righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah, will You destroy it?" God said, "No, I will not destroy it."

 

Then Abraham said, "If there are 45?" God said, "If there are 45, I will not destroy it."

 

Abraham asked, "If there are 40, will You destroy it?" God said, "No, I will not destroy it."

 

Abraham asked again, "God, if there are 30 people will You destroy it?" God said, No, I will not destroy it?"

 

Then Abraham went down to 20, finally down to 10. Each time, God said, "No, I will not destroy it."

 

You know what I really believe? I don't believe that God was playing around with Abraham. I believe that if Abraham had said, "God if there is one person, will You not destroy it?" Then I believe for that one person God would not have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

 

Ezekiel 22:30 says, "I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none."

 

Ezekiel 22:31 says, "Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath; their own way have I recompensed upon their heads."

 

God does not want anyone to perish, but He is willing for us to intervene for our fathers and mothers. We have to persist. We have to insist hour after hour and day after day. God is moved when people continually go before the throne of God and say, "God, please answer this prayer."

 

A week and a half ago, I was coming from Santa Cruz, Bolivia to Miami. I had my ticket in my hand and was getting on the plane. The place where I was supposed to be sitting, someone else was sitting there. I thought about telling that person to move. Finally, I decided, "No, I will not tell him to move." I looked around for an empty seat. I went to the back of the plane and there was a lady sitting near the window.

 

I sat down and said, "Hello," She responded, "Hello. What have you been doing in Bolivia?"

 

"I have been speaking to the superintendent of the Assemblies of God of South America."

 

"Oh, you are a pastor?"

 

"Yes, I am a pastor."

 

"I have just been asking God to lay me on someone's heart to please come and help me. I have been praying on this plane ‘God, please help me. I am in desperate need.'"

 

Right then, within the next half hour, I was able to lead her to the Lord Jesus Christ. When people call out to God; He is going to answer.

 

About three months ago, I was delayed going to David Wilkerson's place, going to Miami via Charlotte, North Carolina, then on to New York City. When the plane took off from Charlotte, North Carolina, it was during the storm of the season. In fact, it was called the storm of the century. Twenty minutes out of Newark, New Jersey, the plane had to turn around because the snow was covering the runway, so we returned to North Carolina.

 

I had a cast on my leg, and my leg was hurting. About that time, over the loud speaker came the announcement, "The airport is closed." I tried to get a hotel room but there were no vacancies.

 

Therefore, I took the telephone book and flipped the pages to the Directory of Churches. I did not know anybody in Charlotte, North Carolina. I looked at the first church on the list, and so called it. I said, "Hello, my name is David Spencer. I am a missionary to Panama. I don't want to stay three days in this place. Normally I would just sleep on the floor, but I have a cast on my leg and it is hurting. Could you come and pick me up and let me stay at your house?"

 

Remember, I don't know these people. The man said, "We have a lot of people that are fakes who call us. I don't know who you are."

 

That is fine, "I understand, no problem."

 

About that time, the man said, "Wait a minute. Give me your phone number, and I will call you back."

 

In ten minutes, he called me back. He said "I want to come and get you." It took him 40 minutes over ice and snow to come to the airport to pick me up. I shook his hand for the first time, got in this old car. It was a very old and dilapidated car. We drove 45 minutes back to his house. It was an old house. He helped me get my suitcases into the house.

 

Then we began to talk. I realized God had put me there. I said, "I don't know why, but I am in your house by divine appointment from God. God sent me here this evening."

 

His wife and he looked at each other. She began to tremble. He did not say anything. Finally, she turned and went to bed.

 

The man said, "I want to tell you a story. Four years ago I graduated from Bible College and started this church. We are very poor. You don't know, but you have come to the poorest church in this city. You phoned the church with the smallest membership. I have been struggling with my wife. We have no money. I had to take a paper route to make a living. From 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., I go out and give newspapers to different homes.

 

"I would pray, ‘God, You forgot me. God, I don't even feel You in my life.'"

 

"Just one week ago, I stood there in the dark room with tears coursing down my cheeks praying, ‘God, I am so depressed. I don't feel like You love me. I don't even feel like You know where I live. But I am going to ask You something. If You really love me, send someone to my house this week.'"

 

By this time, the man was crying.

 

"You can't imagine my reaction when you called, then when you came in I thought you were an angel. I was looking at you thinking, is this an angel or a man?" It did not take him too long to figure out it was a man, not an angel.

 

God spoke to me to tell him something. I said, "Within one month, you are going to receive a very large financial blessing. It is going to come from an unexpected source, from someone you would never think it would come from."

 

That couple just wept. When I got back to Panama, God spoke to me saying, "You are the one that is going to give the money." I said, "God, is this You or just me?"

 

Nevertheless, I sent the money anonymously through a person who went to this man's house and gave it to him. He does not know who gave him the money.

 

God knows where you are living and God does answer prayer. Some of you have been praying for months and years. Sometimes you may feel as though God has forgotten you. But God is here to meet your need because God loves you.

 

There is a powerful scripture in First Chronicles 4:9-10 "And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren; and his mother called his name Jabez saying, because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying. Oh, that Thou would bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that your hand might be with me, and that Thou will keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me."

 

The name of Jabez means "pain". Evidently, his mother had lost hope. What was it that made Jabez more honorable than his brothers?

 

I like the way this verse is written in Spanish: "AND KEEP ME FROM EVIL SO THAT IT WILL NOT HARM ME." Notice this verse does not say that evil will not come. It just says that ‘evil will not harm me.' The verse goes on to say, "God granted his request."

 

Remember when Elijah was praying for rain to come, he was praying according to the scripture. Like a woman giving birth to a child, he was persistent. The servant went the first time and looked at the sky but could see nothing. He came back to the prophet and said, "I don't see anything." Elijah said, "Go back and look again."

 

The servant looked and strained his eyes saying, "I want to see if I can see any clouds." He returned to the prophet saying, "I still don't see anything." Elijah said, "Go back again." The servant responded, "I already went." "Go back again."

 

So the servant went back a third time and looked and looked. Still he saw nothing. He came back to Elijah saying, "I still don't see anything." He thinks that Elijah will say, "O.K., that is all right," but Elijah told the servant to back again.

 

The servant went back a fourth time. He thinks Elijah is crazy. "I still don't see anything," but he keeps looking. Finally, after a long time he comes back and disturbs the prophet again, saying, "I still cannot see anything." Elijah said, "Go back again."

 

So the servant goes back a fifth time. He is getting frustrated. He looked from one side of the sky to the other. He is sweating. There is not a cloud in the sky. He returns to Elijah insisting, "I don't see anything. I know you are going to say. You are going to tell me to go back again." Elijah said, "That is right. Go back again."

 

This is the sixth time. This is getting ridiculous. If God is going to do something, why doesn't He do it the first time? Why does He have to test me like this?

 

After a time the servant comes back to Elijah and hates to disturb him but said, "Excuse me. There are no clouds out there. Honestly." "Go back out there." "I can't believe this."

 

This is the seventh time the servant goes out to look for clouds. He is sweating and looking. He does not have a lot of faith. He is just sitting there looking at the sky. All of a sudden he says, "Anything is better than nothing. He sees this microscopic little cloud, the size of a man's hand coming up from the sea. He is excited now. He comes back to the prophet and says, "There it is! Let's get out of here because a rain is coming."

 

Some of you have been praying concerning a church, a family or finances. You are praying and praying and praying but still don't see any results. You go back again and again and pray. The heavens are like brass. You don't feel like you are getting an answer.

 

But Jesus said, "Ask and keep on asking. Prevail in prayer." Do you believe that?

 

Let us ask God these four things:

 

Oh, that God would bless me, my ministry, my family, my business.

 

Oh, that God would enlarge my territory.

 

Oh, that God's hand would be upon me.

 

Oh, that when evil comes, it will not harm me.

 

The Bible says that God granted his request. God wants to honor these requests for you, too.