Persistent Prayer - Friday July 31, 2015
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1 NIV
Waiting and trusting have become synonymous for me. Learning to wait when I want something so badly; wait when others around me are seeing their prayers answered; wait and wait and wait, believing that God sees, hears, and is working-that is learning to trust my heavenly Father. It is trust that He loves me and has the absolute best in mind for me as well as for others I am praying for.
God has often encouraged me with the verse above. Jesus knew that some prayers wouldn't be answered immediately or even "soon," and He urged His disciples to not give up, but rather to persist in prayer. Why should they not give up? Because there is hope-hope that our loving and just God hears and will answer.
Will I persevere in my prayers, or give up in discouragement and hurt? My persistent prayers show my heavenly Father that I believe He is working. By continuing to pray, my Daddy will know that His daughter trusts that He loves her, hears her, and cares about her heart and her desires, even though circumstances may sometimes communicate a different message. Sometimes His answer may be different from what I would want. Even then, I am offered a wonderful opportunity to pour out my heart to Him (Psalm 62:8), and let Him minister to me with His comfort.
Isn't that what prayer is all about? Getting to know God's heart and opening up my heart to Him? Sharing hurts, struggles, longings, joys, and sorrows with the One who loves and cares about me so deeply, and, yes, learning to trust and wait on Him.
Submitted by:
Dawn Bovenmyer
Stonebrook Community Church
Ames, Iowa
One-Year Reading Plan:
2 Chronicles 29:1-36
Romans 14:1-23
Psalms 24:1-10
Proverbs 20:12
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SCRIPTURE REFERENCB-ES: Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible B) The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy, Bible, New International Version, copyright B) 1973, 1978, 1984 by InternaB-tional Bible Society; (NKJV) are from New King James Version B) 1982 by Thomas Nelson; (NLT) are from the New Living Translation, B) 1996, Tyndale House Publishers; (ESV) are from English Standard VersionB., B) 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers; (TM) are from The Message B) 1993 by NavPress Publishers.