Pray through to breakthrough

Luke 18: 1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

 

The older I become, the more I understand the power of what the old timers used to call, 'Praying through'. Unfortunately that is something that is lost to the modern church. According to Barna Group, a Christian research organization, the average pastor spends five minutes a day in prayer, while the average Christian spends one minute. We have lost 'The art of 'praying through' and consequently this is why powerlessness is evident within our churches. Today we have elevated eloquence above power. Gifted speakers do not translate as effective ministers of the Gospel.  I want to give you two Scriptures that speak to us of  Praying through to Breakthrough, 

Acts 16: 23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

Isaiah 62: 6 I have set watchmen upon your walls, O Jerusalem, who will never hold their peace day or night; you who [are His servants and by your prayers] put the Lord in remembrance [of His promises], keep not silence, 7 And give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her a praise in the earth.

Allow me to give you several translations of God's words to Isaiah,

The Passion Translation : 6 Jerusalem, I have stationed intercessors on your walls who will never be silent, day or night. You “reminders” of Yahweh, take no rest, 7 And give him no rest until he has made Jerusalem a city sparkling with fame across the whole earth

The Message : 6-7 I’ve posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem. Day and night they keep at it, praying, calling out, reminding God to remember. They are to give him no peace until he does what he said, until he makes Jerusalem famous as the City of Praise.

Good News Bible : 6 On your walls, Jerusalem, I have placed sentries;They must never be silent day or night.They must remind the Lord of his promises And never let him forget them. 7 They must give him no rest until he restores Jerusalem And makes it a city the whole world praises.

The Living Bible : 6-7 O Jerusalem, I have set intercessors on your walls who shall cry to God all day and all night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray, and give God no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes her respected and admired throughout the earth.

What does it mean to pray through?

To "pray through" means to engage in persistent, heartfelt prayer, pushing past distractions, fatigue, or time constraints, until a spiritual breakthrough is experienced. It is not about a set duration but about reaching a point of divine breakthrough.

To "pray through" means to engage in relentless, soul-stirring prayer, pressing beyond distractions, weariness, or the ticking clock, until a spiritual breakthrough surges forth. It’s not about measuring minutes but about persevering until a divine contraction grips your spirit, giving traction to the birth of God’s answer.

Praying through is about giving birth to destiny or a promise of God as a mother enduring the labor of parturition through contractions to bring forth a child . The woman would go through contractions which give traction to the birthing process.  The woman would go through three stages: Contraction - Traction - Attraction  so too does the act of praying through involve these three spiritual stages that lead to transformation..

Contraction: The intense, focused effort of prayer, where the soul presses into God’s presence with fervor and determination, overcoming obstacles to align with His will.

Traction: The moment when prayer grips your inner man, gains momentum, as divine alignment brings clarity, strength, and progress toward the fulfillment of God’s promise.

Attraction: The glorious culmination, where the breakthrough manifests, and the promise is born. Like a newborn child drawing the awe and attention of all who witness it, the fruit of prayer captivates hearts and glorifies God.

 

This goes beyond praying one hour. Praying through shatters the limits of a mere hour.  Many are trapped by the relentless tick-tock of time, and miss out on the contractions and traction to give birth. We don't stop praying because of time factor or time constraint.  We press on in prayer, unbound by clocks or constraints, until God’s answer breaks forth.

We pray through and stop when:

• An inner peace settles in - Paul in the boat in Acts 27

Acts 27:18 And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; 19 And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. 20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. 21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,  24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 25  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

In Acts 27, amidst a raging storm at sea, Paul prayed through until he received God’s assurance that all would be spared. This brought an inner peace that steadied his heart, signaling that the prayer’s purpose was fulfilled.

• You hit the victory note - In Acts 16 Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God. The praise is the victory note.

 Acts 16:25- And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

 Paul and Silas, bound in prison, prayed and prayed until they hit the victory note which manifested in this case as singing praises. This outpouring of faith triggered a miraculous earthquake, freeing them. The victory note is the moment of triumphant praise, indicating that prayer has reached its peak and the breakthrough is at hand.

• The burden is lifted as in Nehemiah's case

Nehemiah 1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, 5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: 6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. 8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: 9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. 10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

This passage captures the relief of a burden lifted through connection with Christ. In praying through, the heavy weight of worry or struggle dissipates, replaced by rest and lightness, signaling that the prayer’s goal has been achieved and the answer is near.

• Release in our spirit

 Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God...26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose

These verses reflect the inner confirmation of the Holy Spirit, aligning with the sense of release in our spirit. When praying through, a wave of freedom and assurance rises within, indicating that the prayer has broken demonic resistance, and the breakthrough is either present or imminent.