May 10, 2007

The Power of Persistent Prayer

Mr. Hanover – As I was listening to the Christian Radio Station 770 AM I heard a powerful story on God’s faithfulness when it comes to prayer. 

I was listening to a pastor from Atlanta, Georgia named Michael Yucif.  Dr. Yucif was preaching on prayer when he shared this story about a Solider who was discharged from the Army and he was hitchhiking home. 

The solider wasn’t having any luck getting a ride but he was persistent and eventually a nice black Cadillac pulls over and the door opens.  The man says solider where are you headed? and the solider says his destination and the driver says I can take you as far as Chicago.  The solider says great because where he needs to go is just before Chicago. 

As the solider gets into car and they take off, the driver puts out his hand to shake the soldiers hand and says Hanover is my name.  The solider says nice to meet you Mr. Hanover and they begin talking for the next few hours about many different things.

Mr. Hanover mentions that he is a businessman and the solider says that when he gets married, he is going to open up his own business as well.   During there conversation the Solider feels the Lord tugging at his heart to share the salvation message with Mr. Hanover but he is making tons of excuses in his mind to not share the Love of Jesus with Mr. Hanover. 

This goes on for hours until the solider gets the courage to share the salvation message with Mr. Hanover.  So a few minutes before his stop, the solider shares how Jesus died for our sins and Mr. Hanover could have his sins forgiven and receive eternal life if he accepted Jesus into his as Lord and Savior.

Mr. Hanover pulls over on the side of the road and the solider thinks I really made him mad and he is going to kick me out of the car in the middle of nowhere.  Mr. Hanover is quiet for a minute then he looks at the solider as says I have never heard a more beautiful story in all of my life and he bows his head and prays the sinner’s prayer to make Jesus Lord of his life. 

Just before the solider left Mr. Hanover, he said I will come and visit you in Chicago when I start my own business.  They shook hands and parted ways that May afternoon.

Five years later the solider is now married, has a child, and started up his own business.  He is going on a business trip and will be going to Chicago for business.  He decides to take a detour and go and see Mr. Hanover.

He pulls up to this big building and walks inside and sees a big sign saying Hanover enterprises.  The Solider says I’m here to see Mr. Hanover.  The secretary says Mr. Hanover can’t see you but his wife can.  He goes into a nice big beautiful office.  Mrs. Hanover extended her hand and says to the solider so you knew my husband.

The Solider explains how Mr. Hanover was kind enough to give him a ride home the day he was discharged from the Army.  The lady had a puzzling look on her face and asked what day was that?  The solider said it was May 7th and that he would never forget that date because it was his discharge day. 

She asked him, did anything unusual happen on your ride?  He was somewhat confused by her question and explained that her husband had been extremely nice to him and that he felt the Lord tugging at his heart to share the plan of salvation with Mr. Hanover so he did and he was able to lead Mr. Hanover in the prayer of salvation as they pulled over to the side of the road.  

Mrs. Hanover began to sob uncontrollably.  She pulled herself together and explained how she prayed for her husband for years to be saved.  She said that just after he let you out of the car, her husband passed away in a horrible head-on collision.  Mrs. Hanover said she stopped serving God on that day five years ago because she blamed God for letting her down that day.  With tears in her eyes she said she blamed God for not keeping His word but now I know God was faithful to me and answered my prayer.

This story brought me to tears and reminded of how powerful prayer is and how God answers every prayer.  He calls us to be persistent in prayer because in His time He will answer it for His glory and to build us up in our relationship with Him. 

A big key to prayer is persistence, which means to continually ask for something in spite of resistance, difficulty, or discouragement.  We continue to pray and not give up because in doing so we believe God will graciously grant our requests.  This led me to the parable of the persistent widow in the eighteenth chapter of the book of Luke.  The story starts in verse 1 and goes thru verse 8.

Luke 18 (New King James Version)

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

As I read this passage, I though about Mrs. Hanover losing heart and thinking that God didn’t keep His word by answering her prayer for her husbands salvation.  In verse one Jesus says that men should always pray and not lose heart.  Jesus is saying that God loves it when we pray and to always do it because our persistence will pay off. 

We may have to pray for years but continue to do so because God may just say this is the day that all that persistence will be rewarded.  God may make you wait but He is never late.

In verses 2 thru 5 Jesus compares praying to a widow who is helpless without God asking a Godless judge who doesn’t care one bit about her giving her justice because she was persistent in her requests. 

Judge eventually gives her justice and gives her what she wanted because he fears that if he didn’t she would keep coming to him and wear him out.  He says give that woman justice because I’m sick of her and she’s working me over. 

God would never have the attitude of the judge and say He doesn’t care about say give them what they want because I am sick of those people of mine freeloading off of me.

God says the opposite of the unjust judge.  God says pray day and night and continue to come to me even though I make you wait because your persistence will be richly rewarded.  Jesus points this out in verses 6 thru 8.  Not only did Jesus say God will richly reward us because of our prayers but God will do it speedily.  Jesus is saying that God will move so quickly because of our persistence in prayer because He wants to show us how much it pleases Him when we pray.

God is pleased by His children praying and in spite of Him making us wait He is not only going to answer our prayers but do it faster then we can blink. 

Maybe God makes us wait a little because He just loves hearing our voices.  Maybe He is teaching us to be grateful children because He doesn’t want selfish, spoiled children.  Maybe He just makes us wait because He is God and He can do that.

Whatever the reason, its what’s best for us and in the end we will become a little more like Jesus which is the main goal of being a Christian.

When it comes to prayer, do it as often as possible and never lose heart because you will be greatly rewarded in this life and the next life.

Be Blessed,


Joey