Prayer is one of the most important activities a Christian must continually engage in. The others are living holy, studying the Word, and sharing the Lord Jesus with others. For a Christian, the baseline is to pray day and night—before going to bed and before we begin our day. This is non-negotiable.
Two Models of Prayer in the New Testament
There are two examples of prayer in the New Testament that come with the admonition that we follow them: the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13; Luke 11:1–4) and Elijah's prayer as referenced in James 5:16–18.
The Lord's Prayer gives us a template—what to keep in mind and prioritize when we pray. We extol our Father, ask for forgiveness while forgiving those indebted to us, pray for protection from evil and temptation, and ask that God's will be done. It summarizes what to pray for.
James 5 addresses the technique—how to achieve results. It says Elijah "prayed earnestly" (James 5:17), and reminds us:
"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." ~ James 5:16
In other words, Elijah's prayer is an example of the kind of earnest and fervent prayer that avails: prayer that achieves its intent and its purpose. Prayer that gets results.
How Did Elijah Pray?
First, we must understand that prayer is about a purpose or intent. We pray because we want something done: guidance, protection, a solution, counsel, or simply to commune with the Lord and extol His Name.
Sometimes prayer is about aligning our will with God's will. It's not about asking God to do what we want. It's about seeking His face, asking Him how He wants things done, and aligning our will and expectations with His. Other times, prayer is about asking God to act on our behalf. And still other times, it's about stirring the power of God within us so that we can act in that power. As we grow in the Spirit, it will become clear how to handle each situation.
Pray Until You Receive an Answer
Regardless of the intent, our first posture toward prayer should be this: pray until we receive an answer from the Lord. We have to understand the stakes. If the situation requires an answer within the same day or a couple of hours, we need to pray until we receive it.
Consider a sick person. We should pray until they recover, as Peter did when he prayed for Dorcas, received the assurance of victory, and commanded her to rise (Acts 9:36–41). Or we pray until they begin to recover, as the nobleman's son did when the Lord Jesus spoke the word and the fever left him (John 4:52). Or we pray until we receive a knowing in our heart that God has answered, as the Lord Jesus demonstrated when He cursed the fig tree. There was no visible evidence at that moment, but by the next day the tree had withered from the roots. He already believed. He already had that note of victory (Mark 11:12–21). Or the Lord might tell us specifically how to minister healing. Only then should the prayer stop.
It doesn't have to happen in one stretch. But the point is that we are not done praying until we receive the answer, whether we pray in one sitting or in multiple stretches over time.
Beyond the Two-Second Prayer
Prayer should not be instantly reduced to, "Father, do this for me in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Amen." That kind of two-second prayer is often ineffective—neither fervent nor earnest. The Bible says we will find Him if we seek Him with all our heart (Jeremiah 29:13), and that:
"Men ought always to pray and not to faint." ~ Luke 18:1
A quick petition is fine for talking to the Lord throughout the day. But when we need something done, we must learn to pray through.
Sometimes it takes a few minutes before the answer comes. Sometimes it takes days of persistent stretching in prayer—praying without ceasing, as the early church did when they interceded for Peter's release from prison (Acts 12:5).
There are also times when you simply speak the word and believe (Mark 11:22-24). But this kind of authority is often the fruit of a life lived and empowered by prayer. Consider a preacher who will be ministering to the sick the next day, just as the Lord Jesus often did. Deep, fervent, earnest intercessory prayer for the sick should be done before the day of ministration—asking the Lord to provide His power, just as the apostles prayed that God would stretch forth His hand to heal (Acts 4:29-30), and that the people's hearts would be open to receive. The preacher should receive that note of victory while praying, confident that God has answered. Then on the day of ministration, God will manifest His power to heal.
This is how Elijah prayed for rain, as James references. Elijah prayed with expectancy and did not stop until he received a sign that his prayer had been answered (1 Kings 18:41-45). He sent his servant to look toward the sea seven times. The first six times—nothing. But Elijah kept praying. On the seventh time, a small cloud appeared, and Elijah knew the rain was coming.
Summary
Pray until you have the sign, whether physical or spiritual, a knowing in your heart or a word from the Lord, that He has answered. Remember, it doesn't have to happen in one stretch. The answer may come in seconds, minutes, days, weeks, or even months, depending on the stakes and the complexity of the situation.
Too often, when people are asked to pray, they think they've prayed because they made a one-second plea to God. When nothing happens, they conclude that prayer doesn't work or that God didn't answer. The truth is, they simply didn't pray properly.
Now, this doesn't mean every prayer requires praying through. If we want to bless the food we eat, a simple petition to God in faith should suffice—and it should often give us a sense of peace. But for more complex situations, we may need to press in and pray through. The stakes will determine when to keep going until we have that note of victory. Amen.