Think Long

What do you think of when you hear: spiritual warfare?

What about: supernatural?

As we pray, we must remember that we are in it for the long haul. When we pray, God always hear us, however, there is another person who hears us, the enemy. He will do what he can to stop us from praying. When that is unsuccessful, he will try to hinder our prayers.

It is not enough to dream big and pray hard. We have to think long in our prayers. We tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in a year, but we also underestimate what we can accomplish in a decade. The bigger the vision, the harder we will have to pray and the longer we will have to think.

What does it mean to you to “think long”?

Background- the Book of Daniel

What are some famous stories in the book of Daniel?

Daniel was taken from Jerusalem to Babylon as a teenager. Because of Judah’s habitual sin, God sent them into 70 years of captivity. When King Nebuchadnezzar took over Jerusalem, he took the youngest and the strongest first.

Daniel was brought to a foreign land, but he never forgot his God. He was made a eunuch and trained in Babylonian culture and language. He was a prophet of God who worked for numerous kings in two different empires.

By the time we arrive to our text, Daniel is an elderly statesman. He had spent his entire adult life in a nation that served foreign gods, but he never failed to honor the Lord.

Daniel 10:12–13 NKJV

12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.

How would you respond if you met an angel like this?

The conversation between Daniel and the Archangel (likely Gabriel) gives us insight on what goes on behind the scenes when we pray. The moment Daniel prayed, God heard. However, the enemy did all he could to stop and hinder Daniel from receiving the answer.

While the angels fought on Daniel’s behalf, the catalyst behind the spiritual war was Daniel’s prayer.

1. To Their Knees

Daniel

Daniel 6:4 NKJV

4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.

While Daniel was intelligent and diplomatic, his prayer life is what separated him from others in the kingdom. Daniel didn’t just pray when he had a bad day. He prayed everyday. Pray was a part of the rhythm and routine of his life.

Why is consistent prayer important?

Why is consistent prayer hard?

2. Stop, Drop, and Pray

Daniel 6:19–22 NKJV

19 Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”

Daniel 6:

Few people prayed as consistently or intensely as Daniel. What makes his persistence in prayer so remarkable is that he knew that his dream of rebuilding Jerusalem wouldn’t be fulfilled during his lifetime.

Daniel 9:1–3 NKJV

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

Daniel 9:1-

Jeremiah 25:8–11 NKJV

8 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words, 9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the Lord, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

Daniel never stopped dreaming big, praying hard, because he was thinking long. He understood that he would not see everything everything come to pass in his life, but he had the ability to pray with urgency about things that weren’t urgent.

What do people normally do when their prayers are not answered?

3. Prayer Postures

Physical postures is an important part of prayer. If words describe what we say, then our posture is how it is said. Scripture provides a wide variety of prayer postures.

Kneeling-

1 Kings 8:54 NKJV

54 And so it was, when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, that he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.

Falling on our face-

Genesis 17:3 NKJV

3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:

Looking up toward heaven-

Mark 6:41 NKJV

41 And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.

Anointing someone with oil-

James 5:14 NKJV

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Raising our hands in worship-

Exodus 9:27–29 NKJV

27 And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. 28 Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s.

Exodus 17:11 NKJV

11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

Exoduse 9:

1 Timothy 2:8 NKJV

8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;

What we do in the physical has results in the spiritual.

4. Prayer with Fasting

Matthew 6:5 NKJV

5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

Matthew 6:16–18 NKJV

16 “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Matthew 6:1

What does it mean to fast?

Can you name some different types of fasts?

Fasting is to give something up as a sacrifice for the Lord. It could be food, entertainment, or something else we value. There are benefits to fasting. Daniel showed us the importance of fasting and how God answers through fasting.

Daniel 1:15 NKJV

15 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies.

Daniel 10:1–3 NKJV

1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision. 2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. 3 I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

When we couple prayer with fasting, supernatural answers from heaven follow. Even Jesus said that some miracles are not possible without prayer and fasting.

Matthew 17:21 NKJV

21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

When we have a big decision to make, prayer and fast about the decision. It purges your mind and your spirit. When we need a breakthrough, pray and fast. Maybe there is something we’ve been praying for that we should fast for as well.

Prayer Challenge

Begin to think long in prayer.

Ask the Lord to increase your faith to believe Him for bigger and better in our lives.

Ask yourself, how can I take baby steps in beginning the discipline of including prayer postures and fasting with my prayer.