Every child of God must cultivate the habit of praying without ceasing, according to 1 Thessalonians 5:17. The importance of prayer cannot be overemphasized when we consider what those who took time to pray gained by so doing. James 5:17-18 says:
Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

I remember when I was asking God for a small apartment in the suburbs of Lagos shortly after becoming the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. The Lord forbade me to ask for just an apartment house because He was preparing a city for me. In other words, the Lord was saying that I should not ask for peanuts. Today, the city is in the making. As a matter of fact, what is already on ground is comparable to a modest city and I am still trusting Him for the full actualization of His promise. Praise the Lord!

All we need is to keep on asking Him so our joy may be full. The prayer of Elijah that brought about the rain was not just a five-minute one. He prayed and prayed again before the rain fell; When a man of God prays for a few minutes in public and miracles begin to happen, one should not be deceived to imagine that all we need too are brief prayers. The fact is that the man of God would have actually prayed long hours before the public show of God’s miraculous deeds.

Our Lord Jesus Christ in John 16:24 says “… ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full”. In other words, we must not stop asking until we receive answers to our prayers so our joy may be full.

Hannah prayed until something happened in her life to confirm that she would get her blessing, according to (1 Samuel 1:13-18). Jabez also prayed and God granted him his request (1 Chronicles 4:10). David said that when he cried to the Lord, He healed him (Psalm 30:2). Cry unto the Lord today, and He will answer you as He answered Hannah, Jabez and Elijah, to mention just a few, in Jesus’ name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.