PRAYING THROUGH

Our generation desperately needs to rediscover the difference between praying for and praying through.  There are certainly circumstances where praying for something will get the job done.  I believe in short prayers before meals because, quite frankly, I believe in eating food while it's still hot.  But there are also situations where you need to grab hold of the horns of the altar and refuse to let go until God answers… you refuse to move from the circle until God moves.  You intercede until God intervenes.

Praying through is all about consistency.  It's circling Jericho so many times it makes you dizzy.  Like the story Jesus told about the persistent widow who drove the judge crazy with her relentless requests, praying through won't take no for an answer.  Circle makers know that it's always too soon to quit praying because you never know when the wall is about to fall.  You are always only one prayer away from a miracle.

Praying through is all about intensity.  It's not quantitative; it's qualitative.  Drawing prayer circles involves more than words; it's gut-wrenching groans and heartbreaking tears.  Praying through doesn't just bend God's ear; it touches the heart of your heavenly Father.

-- Mark Batterson in The Circle Maker


#3403