With an eternal, all-knowing, and ever-present God no prayer goes unnoticed.
I understand why prayers for self-indulgence go unanswered – God, provide a Corvette, one of the new ones with a mid-chassis engine, or I can really use the new Gucci handbag.
And to be honest, if one of those prayers is going to be answered, I’m going with the Corvette.
But other prayers for revival, for healing, provision for missions – good prayers, right motives, and Kingdom focused. Why do many go unanswered?
I have a cumulative theory of prayer. They pile up in heaven until God weighs them in His balance to a tipping point of releasing His Spirit.
Revival!
When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 4:8
Keep praying; pile up the prayers in heaven. There are instant answers for prayer. But also, accumulation of prayers bringing breakthrough.
Some examples:
Fullness of Time
Galatians 4:4 reads, “When the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman.”
We have a glimpse of piled up intercession with both Simeon and Anna in Luke 2 when Jesus was presented in the temple:
And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Luke 2:25-26
And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years… She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with fasts and prayers. And at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God and continued to speak about Him to all those who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38
Personal Breakthrough
Jesus teaches repetitive praying in his Sermon on the Mount when he says, “Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking.” Matthew 7:7-11
For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling; what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Paul in Ephesians 1:15-17
Keep piling up prayers. In the Book of Revelation there is an amazing scene of a pent-up demand of prayers:
I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth?” And a white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also. Revelation 6:9-11
Consider: Promises in the Bible for a latter-day revival; glimpses of a church in prophecy that is victorious; predictions for the soon return of Jesus; the “ask anything in my name” promise of Jesus for praying – coinciding with tribulation of last days – and, and, and… more martyrs in the last 100 years than at any other time in history.
Pile up the prayers! Soon, very soon.
Getting strange here: When I write “Interruptions,” sometimes I just write and don’t stop… everything flows… inspiration, not Bible-originated inspiration, but a strong sense of God’s presence. I had this presence while writing today. ~ Grant