1 John 5: 14-15 – “This is the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

There are some amazing intercessors, contemporary men and women alike, who know the voice of God because they have learned to listen and to obey. They are fervent prayer warriors because they know that the God they pray to is the One who hears and answers their prayers (I John 5:14-15). They have a very clear understanding and a deep humbleness knowing that it’s not how often they pray to God that makes the difference, but that it’s the living God behind their prayers who makes the difference and who supplies them the power to carry out His will. These mighty men and women of God know how to “move heaven.”

Remember the story of Daniel who refused to eat any food or drink as he fasted and prayed and set his face before His God to lay his petitions down at the throne? Daniel was determined to do so until he heard a word from his heavenly King. For 21 days Daniel remained prostrate before his God. For 21 days he made it known to the God of the heavens, to whom he was praying, that food and drink was not his sustenance for life, but rather the Word of God that comes from the mouth of God was his everything (Matthew 4:4; Daniel 10:1-3). It wasn’t until the twenty-first day when the angel from heaven came before Daniel and said to him, Daniel, “from the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your word was heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of Egypt detained me from delivering to you God’s message (Daniel 10:12-13).”

Spiritual battles are constantly in motion all around us and we need to be persistent in our prayers. When we feel like we’ve been praying and praying and nothing is happening we have a tendency to give up on those prayers, ultimately giving into the lie that God doesn’t hear, or even worse, that he doesn’t care. However, fresh perspective in faith says, don’t give up, and keep praying until your answered prayers from heaven reach you on earth, just as they did for Daniel.

How many times have I left angels fighting my battle to bring me an answer and then after a time I get impatient and give up on the prayer? How many times have we given in and stopped praying only to find that we have lost out on a true blessing from heaven, that is, God’s response to our prayer? Too many. God’s response could be right around the corner for us to receive if only we had continued to be faithful and persistent! Persistence, patience, belief, boldness, confidence, faith, fasting and trusting in the living God is what brought these great Bible heroes into the very presence of Jehovah their God. Their mightiness and power was the power God delivered to them. The God Daniel prayed to is the same living God who hears and answers our prayers today!

I believe those believers who have a genuine connection with the Lord truly know what it means to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). They are persistent, relentless, and bold and they don’t give up asking the Lord to grant them the request they have made (Luke 10: 5-8). The Apostle Peter says, we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God (1 Peter 2:8). In other words, we have a direct line of communication to God. Let’s learn how to talk to him freely at any time of the day for needs that are both great and small. Let’s naturally go before God in a humble spirit knowing that He hears and answers our prayers as we pray according to his will.

Prayer that becomes effective is when you come to that place in your life where you and Jesus come face to face—where prayer is no longer just an act, but a true conversation with the Creator of this magnificent universe. It is connecting with your Savior and having a close relationship with Him in this life so that when He comes again for His saints in glory you will know Him and “not shrink back” from Him as we read in Hebrews 10:37-39.

Prayer teaches us how to stay fresh and alive in our spiritual life as our heavenly Father desires for us to come as a child and seek his love and guidance. Prayer is a way of life for the believer and it needs to surround us just as the very air we breathe. Without it there can be no life. The prayers that bring me to my knees, I have learned, can move heaven.