Persistently

Children instinctively know how to beg. They are experts in persistence and persuasion. They understand that loving parents cannot long ignore their consistent pleads.

I don't pray like a child.

I don't like to be annoyingly persistent or rude. If I don't get an answer right away, I just take a step back and gradually move on. After a while, it gets tiring of praying and praying and praying and praying. Not to mention that begging is impolite. I don't want to keep asking God for something that He may have already said "no" to (but I just don't know it yet). Plus, I begin to wonder if there's really a need for redundancy. God already knows what I want, right? And I've already prayed for it several times. Is there a need to continue?

Usually, I don't consciously make the choice to give up on prayer. Over time of unanswered prayer, I begin to lose all urgency or passion and, after a while, my faith kind of dies.

But the real issue is this head and heart struggle between what I know is true and what I actually believe. When Luke 11:9 says, "ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you," I know it's true. But do I believe it?

I often forget that God is my Father, and I am His child. He is a Father who delights in giving me every good thing. He desires to lavish on me every good and perfect gift! 

God is good.

And He has good things in store for me because that's what He delights to do. God wants me to be persistent in my prayer life. But I give up too easily on prayer. When I don't get an immediate answer, my prayers fizzle, my faith loses fire, and my passion burns out. But this shouldn't be. The longer I'm waiting for an answer, the more persistent and aggressive my prayers should be!

Of course, God doesn't answer our prayers based on the amount of faith we exert or by how hard we pray. Sometimes He answers no, and sometimes He answers yes. My responsibility is to faithful to the God who is always faithful. He has promised to answer. And I don't want to give up. I want to pray like a little child.

Give Him time to do great things. The greater work He plans, the greater the prayer preparation that may be necessary, including prayer for guidance. God often waits so that He can be even more gracious.
—Wesley L. Duewel

 The chief purpose of prayer is that God may be glorified in the answer. —R.A. Torrey

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Don't Forget....

As you go throughout your day today, remember that today is the National Day of Prayer. I would encourage you to set aside some time to pray along with fellow believers around the nation. But let's not pray just because this is the NDP, but because Christ commands it and because it is a privilege! We all say that prayer is powerful...let's live it out!

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

National Day of Prayer - get involved!

On May 6th, 2010, believers around the nation will come before God in prayer. Even though it was ruled unconstitutional, The National Day of Prayer will still be observed this year. Our country is in need of prayer more than ever. We all know this, but does it change how we pray...how much we pray? This year, I want to specifically set aside time--extra time--to pray this Thursday...and I want you to get involved too! So what can we do?

From the Boundless website, here are a few things you can do:

• Attend a NDP event
• Read the NDP blog
• Sign up for weekly prayer tips
• Keep up with NDP on facebook
• Watch NDP videos on Youtube
• Follow their tweets

Will you join me in praying this Thursday?

"We stand tallest when we are on our knees."
--Billy Graham

"Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?"
--Corrie ten Boom

"Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work."
--Oswald Chambers