And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness – Acts 4:31
“How long has it been?” Shelly asked while panting. “I’d say about six hours,” Stanley responded. “But just remember, as I told you both before, the first pregnancy is always the longest. I know the contractions are becoming more painful, but that means the baby is getting ready to make its appearance. So, try to remain calm and keep breathing and let the baby tell you when he or she is ready to come out,” the nurse comforted. “I guess the only thing that’s left to do is for me to start pushing,” Shelly announced. “Do you feel another contraction coming?” Stanley asked. “No, but I’m going to pray until something happens.”
It was that spiritual acronym for the word push that was included in my pastor’s Sunday sermon, when he encouraged the congregation to be unrelenting in their prayer time. That we are to “pray until something happens,” referencing Acts 4:31 to show the power of prayer, how “the place was shaken where they were assembled together.” This aligns with other teachings in the Bible, such as: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).
When you’re going through something, it can feel as if you’re in a hospital awaiting delivery. But just as a baby won’t emerge without pushing during contractions, neither should we stop praying for an answer until it happens.