One of the mysteries of biblical prayer is that the Lord is honored and pleased when His children persist in prayer and dont give up. And if you stop and think about it from heavens perspective, it makes a lot of sense. Consider the importance God places on faith. It is only through faith that man receives the forgiveness of his sins. And it is only through faith that God answers prayer. In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus tells a parable about a persistent widow who kept going back to a judge over and over again in order to get justice. Our Lord then declared, And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. The Lord sums up His teaching by asking, Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Consider these two dimensions of biblical faith: (1) faith for eternity; and (2) faith for today. A person who has faith for eternity is trusting in Christs death as the payment for his sin and eternal salvation. This miracle takes place by virtue of the Holy Spirits work in his heart. We are not saved by what we do. Instead, we are saved by what Christ did for us on the cross. And the gift of eternal life in heaven is received through faith alone. Faith for today refers to a Christian trusting God to work in the details of life here on earth. There are many aspects of our life which call for faith. And the interesting thing is that it often seems easier for a believer to trust God for eternity than for today. How odd. You would think it would be just the opposite. When it comes to faith for today, the Lord has woven persistent prayer into the mix. God has arranged things so that our faith for today gets tested. This happens in a number of ways. For example, God often has us wait upon Him for answers to specific prayers. At other times, the Lord allows challenges to come into our life that dont seem to make any sense. And yet it is in those confusing times that our faith is stretched and expanded. Why hasnt God answered my prayer yet? Well, maybe He has answered it, but differently than you expected. Or maybe He is waiting for you to continue praying until the ultimate answer is given. God wants you to know that He is honored and pleased when you keep bringing the need before Him in prayer. This is actually one of the most precious insights concerning persistent prayer. The Lord never tires of hearing from His children. In fact, He desires to have us trust Him enough to continue praying even if we have already prayed about it many times! Is the thing you are praying about honorable? If so, keep coming back to your heavenly Father over and over again. Think about the privilege we have been given in prayer. And if you want to really get the attention of heaven, keep praying and dont give up. Is it any wonder that Jesus asked, Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8) Having faith to go to heaven is the easy part. Trusting God for the needs of today, however, is where our life of discipleship really gets put to the test. And persistent prayers of faith tell God a lot about how much His children trust Him and believe His promises.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 02:02:20 +0000