Persistent Prayer 

We can be optimistic in this life when Jesus Christ lives within us. We can find joyful hope when we put our relationship with Christ first and spend regular time fellowshipping with Him in prayer.

A close relationship with God will give us joy in the midst of trouble, victory in times of temptation, fruitfulness and blessing in times of uncertainty.

A solid prayer life will give us confidence when everything else is crumbling around us.

I remember one time when we were moving house, that everything was going wrong, just like it can when your moving house. Reports and searches coming back not saying what we expected. Paper work lost on the growing pile on the solicitors desk. Phone calls not returned.

It was at this point I decided it was time to pray. Not a quick arrow prayer, but to be persistent. I prayed after church on Sunday and would not eat until I believed God had heard the persistent cry of my heart. Sometime I joined the family as the finished lunch other times it took till early evening. I knew by this time that God had answered. Mondays and Tuesdays became busy times in that move .

Are we persistent in our prayers? Have we reached the place where we say, “God, You must answer this prayer, because I have nothing? You must step in. There is no Plan B.”

Jesus said to the disciples, “Without Me, you can do nothing.”

And we say, “But Lord, I can do lots of things.” But the problem is, without Him, we accomplish nothing - and it’s when we realize this that we begin to be persistent in our prayer life.

I think it was O. Hallesby, one of Norway’s great Christian leaders, who said that prayer is the utterance of the helpless. And until we are helpless, our prayers will not get beyond the roof.

Is prayer the first activity to be cut when your life becomes busy?

Do you skip prayer time on the days when you feel tired or ill or apathetic?

Are your prayers half-hearted attempts to fulfill a ritual or appease your guilt?

If your prayer life has been lacking, confess to God today how you have neglected this important aspect of your relationship with Him. Pray for the Holy Spirit's help to guide you in your prayers, to motivate you to spend time with Him, to give you the self-discipline to stay focused in prayer, and to prepare your heart for the presence of God.