When God Comes Through After Over a Decade of Prayer…
I just got back from a weekend that shows God “over answers” our prayers if we stay in the long game. My youngest son got married to the sweetest young lady!!
God put it on my heart many, many years ago, to pray for my boys’ future wives.
To pray for their protection.
To pray that their identity would be rooted in Christ.
To pray that God would prepare each of them to be the wife that each of my sons needed.
To pray that God would lead and guide them in all their steps.
And God orchestrated so many circumstances for each of my sons to meet and marry who they did, it's jaw dropping.
When I started praying for these ladies, my sons weren't even thinking about having girlfriends. They were that young still! Yet I felt very strongly, the Holy Spirit telling me to pray for these girls.
We've been talking about our primary purpose the last few weeks:
Knowing God and making God known
And one of the best ways we can do that is with prayer. Because we are inviting Him into our lives, our circumstances, and the lives and circumstances of those around us.
The Bible is very clear that part of our mandate is prayer.
And lots of it.
Acts 1:14 – “They all joined together constantly in prayer...”
Romans 12:12 – “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Ephesians 6:18 – “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Colossians 4:2 – “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 – “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances...”
2 Thessalonians 3:13 – “And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.”
Hebrews 10:36 – “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
James 5:16–18 – “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective... Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly...”
This isn't to shame anyone about how much you have or haven't prayed. We've all had dryer seasons in our prayer lives.
This is about reigniting your passion to bring things that are important to you to the throne of your Heavenly Father!
My sons’ marriages are very important to me so I started praying for the women who would be involved way before we met them. And did God ever honor all those prayers!
But let me remind you that the devil is going to hit you with his schemes if you start earnestly praying for something.
Here are his top 5 schemes:
Doubt – undermines faith and trust in God. He might even get you to question God’s ability or power to come through for you.
Distraction – keeps your mind busy and away from prayer. The best way to keep you from getting answered prayers is keeping you from praying at all!
Discouragement – convinces you your prayers aren’t working. Why would you keep doing something that you didn't think was going to work?
Delay – tempts you to give up when answers seem slow. He wants you to think God is saying no but the answer could just be “not yet.” He wants you to quit in the meantime
Deception – twists truth and makes you believe lies about God, yourself, or prayer.
Friends, you can't give up.
It doesn't matter if you've been praying for the same thing for 30 years.
You don't stop until Jesus takes you home.
People are counting on you to intercede for them in prayer. Generations will be changed by our prayers. Believe that and pray accordingly!
So what are the top five defenses for the devil's top five schemes against your prayer life?
1. Diligence – Staying consistent and faithful in prayer
Romans 12:12 – “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Colossians 4:2 – “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
2. Devotion – Keeping your heart and focus fixed on God
Psalm 86:11 – “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”
Acts 2:42 – “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
3. Dependence – Leaning fully on God’s strength and promises
Proverbs 3:5–6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
John 15:5 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
4. Discernment – Seeing through lies and distractions with God’s wisdom
Hebrews 5:14 – “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
5. Determination – Refusing to quit, pressing through delay and discouragement
Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Luke 18:1 – “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
So ask yourself…
Which of the top five schemes am I most prone to falling for?
Which of the top five defenses do I need to utilize more?
What does God want me to pray for NOW so it comes to pass in the FUTURE?
Remember...your prayers are POWERFUL!
(You know who else I pray for? YOU. I constantly pray that each of you would be living out God's purposes every single day!)
Keep going, my friends. And may God overdeliver on your fervent prayer.
Stay in the long game!!
In passionate purpose,
Dorothy