What I Know About Prayer

On the last Thursday of June 1956, Jerry Falwell, founding pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, sat in a pickup truck looking through pouring rain at a 30 x 150-foot concrete block building.  He prayed, “Lord it is not a beautiful place to begin a church.”

Weeds were growing over the sheets of plywood covering the windows, and inside was the smell of sweet syrup that soaked the floors of the recently bankrupt soft drink bottling company.

Young Falwell prayed, “Lord, if you will fill this building with Your presence, I will make it beautiful with the gospel. I will try to win everyone to Christ that I can reach and build a great church for Your glory.  I believe we can reach the whole world from this little church building here in Lynchburg, Virginia.”

God answered his prayer and Thomas Road Baptist Church was born.  In 1969, while doing research for my book The 10 Largest Sunday Schools in America, I saw the credibility of answered prayer in these 10 outstanding churches.  However, I was so impressed with the spiritual power and prayers of Thomas Road Baptist Church that I joined it June 1, 1971.

In the early days, soul winners gathered in the basement of the small concrete block building to beg God for souls. In 1969, the church had 212 Sunday school workers that recorded 812 decisions for Christ and 350 baptisms.

Over the years there were many great answers to prayer, but none greater than when bankruptcy threatened Liberty University in the early 90s.  A famous television evangelist was convicted of adultery and fraud and went to prison. Financial giving to all gospel preachers on television plummeted.  The income at Liberty University dropped $25 million in the late 1980s and the university was soon facing a $52 million-dollar indebtedness.

Jerry Falwell fasted and prayed for 40 days, begging God for the money.  He ate nothing and drank water, black coffee and diet Pepsi.  God did not answer, and he ended his 40-day fast. Falwell made several major changes to the organization and, after 25 days of normal eating, he started his second 40-day fast begging God to save the university. Five days after his second fast was over, I was in Falwell’s office when a messenger from A. L. Williams brought $25 million dollars in a cashier’s check and securities to pay all the university bills.

I know that big prayer works because I saw the check and securities.  And I got paid!  I know that prayer for little requests works, and I know God hears each time I pray.

The Bible promises, “The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (John 5:16). Let’s see what we must do to get “much” in answers.

First, the word effectivecarries the meaning of practical or workable.  Effective prayers are prayers that work. Are you praying within the working priorities of God?  Are you praying for God’s effective results?  Can the answers you seek work in God’s program?

Second, fervent means energized.  Do you pray with spiritual energy, or do your prayers bore God? If your prayer puts you to sleep, they probably put God to sleep.

The third criteria is righteousness. Any sin in your life—ignorant or deliberate—will hinder your prayers.  You must be righteous to get your prayers answered. Jesus must be at the center of your life and you must identify with Christ as He prays for you. When you are in Christ you cannot get any more righteous than that.

And what does the promise mean, “availeth much”? The greatest change-agent to prayer is faith. When you pray, your belief will touch God’s heart, and “He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6).

I’ve been in the prayer meetings at Thomas Road Baptist Church, so I know the church was built by great prayers.  I know God answers prayers because I’ve been in intercessory prayer meetings at Liberty University where people pleaded for God to use the university, and I have witnessed the growth of Liberty University. Why?  I believe it is because God delights to answer the effective fervent prayers of righteous intercessors.