Praying With Persistence
Posted: Monday, September 29, 2008
by Babes Tan-Magkalas
http://www.stjosephsite.com
You pray day and night with deep faith, but God does not seem to hear you. You remain jobless, your friend remains seriously ill and the man of your dreams is nowhere in sight. What should you do?
You may think you should do nothing because if you continue praying, God may think you lack faith. Or you may think that God is teaching you the virtue of patience so you should just accept His silence with stoic resignation.
In the parable about the widow, she kept returning to an unjust judge begging for justice. She wore away at him until he relented and granted justice (Luke 18:2-5).
On the surface, it seems that you have to literally nag God and He will eventually answer and grant your heart's desire.
Pray persistently and you will get what you want. But is this really what Jesus was saying? Will God give you what you asked for just to get rid of you so that He could attend to the countless others who demand His attention?
Surely, you know God is not like that. Jesus personifies the character of God in the flesh. The Bible shows various accounts of Him being prepared to help the needy and showing compassion towards them. God always hears and answers prayers. Sometimes, the immediate response to a prayer is a resounding 'Yes.' At other times He responds negatively despite persistent praying and patience you exhibit as the wait continues.
Have no doubt. God wants you to pray continually with faith. Why? The life of the apostle Paul is an example of faith. Paul was believed to have "a thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7). There is no description but readers believe the "thorn" was a chronic and debilitating health issue that kept him from doing his work. He prayed many times asking for God to take the 'thorn' away and waited in patience and faith for an answer. Yet, his prayer was not granted.
Paul got something much better. He prayed persistently with faith and heard God's voice and learned His will in his life. God told him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."(2 Corinthians: 9) Paul realized that his 'thorn in the flesh' prevented him from being boastful and proud.
Paul had wonderful spiritual experiences and developed great preaching prowess and it was difficult not to brag. The 'thorn' kept him humble. Paul was aware of his weaknesses and knew that his accomplishments were gifts from God and not of his own making.
You see, returning to God again and again in prayer keeps your communication lines with Him open. It gives God an opportunity to communicate with you and more importantly, gives you an opportunity to hear Him. It is usually after you have prayed and prayed that you run out of words and then, you stop talking and hear God in the silence.
Persistent prayer provides God the opportunity to give you the solutions you're looking for. You may have your own idea of what the solution should be, which guides you as you continue to pray.
However, what you think as the solution may not be God's.
There are times when God bends your will and allows the broken spirit to shine. It is in prayer that you realize that letting go is the answer that lets God work miracles in your life.
God will reshape your desires and show the right resolution.
Pray persistently because you know the communications lines are open and God is listening. Actively speak with God to open the way for resolutions to come back to you. Do not lose heart. Keep praying and hold onto your faith. Hold on to the greatest opportunity by allowing God to work through you, in you and with you.
Pray persistently for the right reasons. Experience God's presence, goodness, mercy and power as He touches your life!
Babes Tan-Magkalas has 2 major passions in life : prayer and St. Joseph . She wrote a free ebook entitled "Prayer Tips (for Prayers That Get Results)" where she gives out valuable information on how to make prayers more powerful and effective.
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