Dear Friend,

The Bible speaks of many kinds of prayer: doubting prayer, selfish prayer, vengeful prayer, fervent prayer, plaintive prayer, panicky prayer, the prayer of faith, spontaneous prayer, ritual prayer, private prayer, public prayer, pharisaic prayer, and so on. But it lifts up one kind of prayer above all others.

The highest prayer is heroic prayer - prayer which petitions scripturally, is fervent in spirit, and believes it immediately receives (Mark 11:24). Yet it also waits patiently, occupies dutifully, and works through contradictions. Persevering, it suffers doubters' mockery ("Where is your God?"), endures heaven's strange silence and inaction, and resists the rationalistic urging to "be reasonable" and give up. Convinced things must turn out as God said, realizing God often requires time to "work all things together" to answer prayer (Romans 8:28), and remembering prayer itself forwards an invisible spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-18), it continues praying in faith and in the Spirit, day and night, unswervingly, courageously, heroically. Then one day, in God's time, the desired results appear.

Heroic prayer is wise prayer. It is not foolish, reckless, or self-led. When difficulties press in, the heroic intercessor presses on, stepping back to be sure his requests are in God's will (1 John 5:14-15) and, once confirmed, holding to them doggedly. He abandons himself to God with childlike trust in God's utterly faithful character and with unyielding confidence that God will always do His own will in His time and way.

For every heroic intercessor, there are many half-hearted, retiring petitioners. But the Bible sets before us prayer of the heroic kind to inspire us to emulate the brave souls who kept visiting heaven until heaven visited them. And because they would not be denied they were not denied.

Jesus encapsulated the spirit of heroic prayer in these words: "Men ought always to pray and not to faint" (Luke 18:1). He went on to commend a woman who tried unsuccessfully to obtain justice from a callous, unjust judge yet, in the end, received exactly the justice she asked for because she persisted so relentlessly and humbly.

He also told of a friend who would not stop knocking on his friend's door until he received bread to set before his visitors (Luke 11:5-10). He furthermore praised a Syrophoenician woman who persistently sought His help for her daughter, despite His disciples' rudeness and His own uncharacteristic inattention, denial, and even insults, and finally received the deliverance for which she came (Matthew 15:21-28).

The Old Testament tells of Elijah who, knowing God had promised rain, prayed for rain persistently with dogged determination despite a persistently cloudless sky - until it rained (1 Kings 18:1, 41-46)! And it reveals Daniel fasted and prayed for vital insight into Israel's last days - until 21 days later he received it (Daniel 10:1-14).

The New Testament showcases the incessant intercession of the Jerusalem church, which prayed for Peter's release from Herod's death row "without ceasing" - until his captivity ceased and vital ministry resumed (Acts 12:1-19). And it tells us Paul prayed for the spiritual maturity of the churches he ministered to, as he instructed us, "without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) - until those churches' faith, patience, and love were mature.

How many times since Paul's time have wives prayed for years for the conversion of husbands whose cases were certifiably impossible - until God by His infinite power and wisdom did the impossible. And those bad husbands became good Christians!

How many times have parents prayed persistently for their rebellious children - through childhood, youth, and early adulthood - only to see no visible changes. Yet they continued to stand in the gap until God filled that gap with glorious conversions, baptisms of His Spirit, and deliverances from all kinds of sins and bondages. And to their delight, their wayward children became God's wise children.

What is challenging you to heroic prayer today? A loved one's physical condition? A friend's troubled mind or emotional stress? A church strife or split? A once-fruitful ministry's sudden, strange season of barrenness? A nation becoming more evil when you prayed it would become more righteous? A steady stream of discouraging setbacks on a mission, project, or work God distinctly led you to begin, and repeatedly confirmed? The coward's way is to just give up, walk away, and accept defeat. Maybe even call it God's will, though you know better.

But Jesus is calling you to something higher: courageous persistence in biblically based, Holy Spirit filled prayer (Ephesians 6:18)! If you've come to your wits' end, be still, and trust God's wits. If you have no more courage left, summon Christ's courage in you. Feed your faith, renew your vision, draw near the Miracle Worker, re-confess confidence in Him, and pray on. In the Spirit. With the Word. With expectancy. With thanksgiving. With praise. With courage. Heroically! Until your desired result becomes your acquired result.

Then history's most heroic Intercessor - who "ever liveth to make intercession" (Hebrews 7:25) for you, me, and this seemingly impossible generation of stubborn sinners and immature Christians - will be deeply pleased with you. And He will commend you to His heavenly Father for closer intimacy, more spiritual power, increased fruitfulness, and greater responsibilities in His ongoing kingdom work.

For heroic prayer,

Greg Hinnant
Greg Hinnant Ministries