THE PARTNERSHIP OF PRAYER (How Long Should I Continue to Pray?)

ISAIAH 62:6-7: “Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen on your walls; they will never be silent, day or night. There is no rest for you, who remind the Lord. Do not give him rest until he establishes and makes Jerusalem the praise of the earth.” CSB

OBSERVATION: Have you ever struggled with the concept of prayer? As a believer, one who holds the Bible to be the final word in all matters of faith and practice, I believe in prayer. Yet, even though I believe in the power of prayer, at times I still struggle with it. Here are some of the questions I wrestle with.

• Are my prayers really making a difference?

• Why is nothing changing even though I continue to pray?

• Does God really hear my prayers?

• How long should I keep praying?

• Is there a time when I should stop praying?

The list could continue, but these are some of the things that show that prayer is really a mystery to some extent. Why does God even call us to pray? Can’t God simply do what He wants to do without our prayers? If God is all-powerful, if He is all-knowing, if His will is that which will be established, then why does He call me to pray? Surely, my weak prayers can’t change the outcome of what God wants to do!

Or, can they?

“Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:17-19

Paul Billheimer, a beloved pastor and author who is now with the Lord, wrote a powerful little book entitled “Destined for the Throne.” In this book, he calls prayer our “on-the-job training” for ruling and reigning with Jesus Christ. Prayer is the exercise of the “Keys of the Kingdom.” In other words, God has chosen to invite those who place their faith in Jesus Christ to work with Him in partnership to fulfill His will upon the earth.

This, too, is a great mystery. It is hard to fully understand, but it must be affirmed because this is what the Scriptures teach us. Yet, so many believers don’t know what the keys are and how to use them.

First, let’s define what the keys are not.

The keys of the Kingdom of God, given to all who place their faith in Jesus Christ, who proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, are not keys that open doors of our own making. They are keys that, in partnership and agreement with God, open up doors that He has already determined to open and lock the doors that He has already closed. The wonder is that he hands us the keys and lets us turn the lock!

Note what he says to Peter.

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19 CSB

The keys of the Kingdom only open doors that have already been opened in heaven. In other words, they are the doors that God has already called into being to usher in His Kingdom. Yet, in a way that mere mortal man cannot fully understand, He will not move until there is an intercessor, one who will rise in faith, take the keys of the Kingdom in believing prayer, and turn them in the door.

Many times we have the keys in the door, and they do not want to turn. Do we have the wrong door? Do we have the wrong keys? Sometimes, the answer is yes. However, when we know that we are praying according to the will of God (the right keys), when our prayers align with God’s Word and Promises (the right door), when we are truly submitting to the truth (the right heart praying“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done…”),

Then what should we do when the door does not open?

The wonderful words found in Isaiah 62:6-7 give us the answer. We keep praying, we keep believing, we keep trying to turn the keys in the lock of the doors of heaven, until it is God’s time to open the door. The enemy wants us to grow tired and give up. Yet, God calls us to persevere in prayer until the answer comes. How long?

“There is no rest for you, who remind the Lord. Do not give him rest until he establishes and makes Jerusalem the praise of the earth.” Isaiah 62:7 CSB

• Until He establishes!

• Until He answers!

• Until He makes Jerusalem the praise of the earth!

This is how long we pray. This is our call to partner in the Kingdom of God. This is a call to faith and perseverance. It is a call to remind ourselves of our God-given role in exercising the keys of the Kingdom. It is a holy calling and a sobering one at that. Yet, it is a calling that we have been given by the Creator of all things. And, so we pray!

• We keep praying!

• We do not give up!

• We do not lose heart!

“Pray constantly…” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 CSB

“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” I Timothy 2:1-4 CSB

“Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 CSB

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.” James 5:16-18

• We pray until the lost soul is saved!

• We pray until the prodigal returns home!

• We pray until the sick one is healed!

• We pray until the door of promise opens!

• We pray until the day of Jesus Christ’s return!

• We pray, continue praying, and pray until Jerusalem is the praise of the earth!

God does not call us to manufacture the door. God does not call us to choose the door. God does not call us to break down the door. God reveals the door to us through His Word and asks us to partner with him by inserting the Keys of the Kingdom and turning the key. It is His door, His promise, His power, and His glory. What a wonder He gives us a part at all. And yet He does!

He gives us the partnership of prayer!

“In that day you will not ask me anything. Truly I tell you, anything you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.” John 16:23-24 CSB

And, so Father, we ask!

In Jesus’ Name!