Friends, I have one more week of devotions about prayer. You can tell that this is really heavy on my heart this year, and I want you to catch this passion with me! This week I want to talk about persevering in prayer.
St. Francis de Sales once said "Each Christian needs half an hour of prayer each day, except when we are busy, then we need an hour."
We need to pray! Especially when things are busy, or hectic, or difficult... we need to pray.
But what I've noticed about myself is that when I am struggling, I often end up praying less in those times. Maybe it's the same for you. When life has got difficult, and I am facing stresses and challenges and hard things, somehow I can end up praying less.
Prevailing When We're Weary
What I long for is the faith of Agur. He wrote this in Proverbs 30:1 - "I am weary, God, but I can prevail."
Prevailing in prayer is what we should do when we are weary and down and upset and struggling. But most often we don't, do we?
Perhaps today you need to commit to persevering in prayer. Prayer that might be hard, it might feel like a strain, it might take effort through our sighs and tears. But we recommit to a lifestyle of prayer.
In fact I want to encourage us today to keep praying! Mary Lou Shea wrote an article in Holiness Today about Hagar, the mother of Ishmael - Abraham's firstborn son. Hagar went through much difficulty and heartache, but as she sobs and struggles, God hears her and comes to her aid.
God Hears and Answers
Shea writes this: "God can take any of our messes, any of our complications, anything that's far-from-perfect and turn it into something extraordinary, even if it looks pretty ordinary to others. Keep praying. Keep watching and waiting. Keep crying out. Let God open your eyes to His provision. Don't give up, because our God hears. And He answers when we need Him most."
Amen to that. Keep praying.
Don't stop praying when you are sobbing.
Don't stop praying when you are mad.
Don't stop praying when you are frustrated.
Don't stop praying when you feel guilty.
Don't stop praying.
Keep praying. Keep praying.
Because God hears, and answers when we need Him the most.
May it be that this week and this year you and I persevere and keep praying, through all the ups and downs, with the knowledge that our God hears each word we pray!
Paul warns Timothy about teachers who love quarrels about words, and the warning matters even more in the age of social media. Before you share, forward or follow anything this week, ask whether it points you to Jesus or simply stirs up strife.