A beautiful day of companionship today, Father. You have blessed me abundantly! I would pray that You would continue to bless the union that You ordained between Karen and myself, that we may continue to impact lives for Your kingdom, both together and as individuals. Amen.
Luke 11:5-13 (<<click to read the passage)
At times, there are things in life that just seem insurmountable. Goals and aspirations that at one point seemed attainable with a lot of hard work and a substantial amount of elbow grease, over time, become behemoths of anguishing frustration that drain us dry to the very core of our being. It is excruciating!
Some collapse beneath the load and turn their backs on all the lofty hopes and dreams to which they had aspired.
But for others? Persistence prevails.
Thoughts of giving up, of throwing in the towel, of backing down, of hoisting up a flag of surrender may pass through their minds but…persistence prevails. No matter how difficult, no matter how taunt their minds and hearts are…they refuse to capitulate. They will not cede to the enemy of defeat! Persistence prevails!
And in doing so they become the victors! They will be the conquerors receiving the wreath of laurels signifying their triumph over their adversaries!
Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe you know someone who has been or is there. It’s tough…but along that arduous journey, we don’t just benefit from reaching our desired destination, we also benefit from the journey itself.
In today’s passage, Jesus speaks of two friends. Friend number one has received an unexpected visitor and in desperation pleads with friend number two for help. It is late and number two is already in bed, his children with him. At first number two refuses to help but eventually – due to the persistence and boldness of number one’s pleas – he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
Jesus’ lesson was pressing for our persistence and boldness in prayer with God.
A note from my Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation states,
Persistence, or boldness, in prayer, overcomes our insensitivity, not God’s. To practice persistence does more to change our heart and mind than his, and it helps us understand and express the intensity of our need. Persistence in prayer helps us recognize God’s work.
“So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking [persistently], receives; and he who keeps on seeking [persistently], finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [persistently], the door will be opened.” vs9-10 (AMP)
We dare not give up! We must not throw in the towel! We cannot back down! How can we even think of hoisting up a flag of surrender?!
…ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you…
…seek and keep on seeking, and you will find…
…knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
Persistence prevails!
God knows what we need…but often we really have no idea. We think we do but God doesn’t just want shallow, lightweight prayers – He wants to hear from us, sure! – but if we are seeking to draw close to Him in everything we are, we need to dig deeper. We need to strain. We need to put all we are into the endeavor. And in the end, we will do more than reach our destination. For our end will only be the beginning and the journey will be all the richer!
June 14th, 2020, Sun, 6:29 pm
