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When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end—because I am God, your personal God . . . your Savior.
(Isaiah 43:1–4 MSG)
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This week, I asked someone who I’ve known and worked with for nearly 15 years to write a Sunday Entry on breakthrough prayer. Allow me to introduce you to my good friend Chris Pace; I have a feeling you’ll enjoy his words.
– Addison Bevere
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At one point or another, we all encounter roadblocks—moments where we feel like our progress is stalled and we can go no further. But these moments can become a time of power, not panic—depending on how we respond.
The apostle James wrote, “The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) is able to accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power]” (James 5:16 AMP).
There are two words from this verse I want to highlight: heartfelt and persistent. These two words provide the ingredients for breakthrough prayer.
Prayers that originate from the heart—you know, the ones that shake you to the core—are the prayers that touch the heart of God. Couple them with persistence, and you’ll get something like rain.
Through Scripture, rain is a symbol of God’s blessing and favor—it also provides a powerful analogy for breakthrough prayer. Rain clouds are formed by a four-step process that includes evaporation, condensation, saturation, and precipitation. You could say that this cycle is the life of rain.
Similarly, breakthrough prayer is a collection and transformation of heartfelt and persistent cries. The more we yield to prayer (evaporation), the more God’s power is formed in us (saturation and condensation), which ultimately leads to a breaking point (precipitation)—the release of God’s promise and provision.
Response
Are there areas in your life where you feel held back and need a breakthrough, a sudden advance beyond or through an obstacle?
God doesn’t need perfect words but he does need you to participate. Our imperfect prayers and cries will, in the most surprising of ways, open us up to the miraculous work that He’s doing in us.
Closing Thoughts
God is the Master of breakthroughs. In 2 Samuel 5:20, the Lord gave David victory over the Philistines. Afterward, David declared, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Then David renamed that place Baal-perazim, which means “master of breakthroughs.”
Before David’s victory, this place was called the Valley of Rephaim, which means “house of the giant.” For us, in a similar way, the places where giants or obstacles stand in opposition to us will become the places where God establishes His breakthroughs, opening the way for us to level up and never get stuck.
Keep the fire burning!
Chris Pace
ChrisPace.org
P.S. If you’d like to learn more about how you can advance in your calling and never get stuck, Chris just released an amazing book titled Level Up. I’ve watched him embody this message before he ever put pen to paper, and I couldn’t be more proud of him!
