Pastor’s Corner: “Perspectives from Heaven”
Don’t Stop Praying! “Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers” (Ephesians 6:18 NLT).
Why should you be persistent in your prayers, like Ephesians 6:18 says, even when you don’t get an answer? This seems especially relevant with the reality that circumstances surrounding the virus appear to be getting worse, not better. Is God even hearing our prayers? Why continue to pray if it looks like God is ignoring our prayers and the situation we face? I know many (Christians and non-Christians) are asking these questions. Why should we be persistent in our prayers?
Persistent prayer focuses your attention: When you pray for something repeatedly, it’s not to remind God. He doesn’t need to be reminded! It’s to remind yourself who the source of your answer and all your needs is. If every prayer you ever prayed were instantly answered, two things would be true. First, prayer would become a weapon of destruction in your life. Second, you’d never think about God because he would become a vending machine. If every time you prayed you instantly got results, all you’d think about is the blessing. God wants you to think about the Blesser.
Persistent prayer keeps you close to Him: The more we are talking to the Lord, the more likely we are to hear Him speaking to us, helping us grow closer to our Savior. This has been and will continue to be the heart desire of our Father, having a close intimate relationship with us. Out of this relationship flows everything He promises, love (giving and receiving), peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, joy & self-control (fruit of the Spirit). The goal in prayer is more than just getting what we ask for, it is also to grow closer to our Savior, His Spirit and our Heavenly Father. And the closer we are, the more aware we can become to what He is doing and what His will is. Romans 12:2 (NLT) – 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Persistent prayer tests your faith: James 1:3-4 (NLT) says, “When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing”. The only way you can grow to spiritual maturity is to have your faith tested. One of the ways God’s going to test your faith is by delaying some answers to your prayers. It forces us to ask ourselves, do I really trust Him? When everything is falling apart around me, do I still trust Him? When the Heavens appear to be silent, do I still trust Him?
Persistent prayer prepares your heart for the answer: When you make a request of God, God almost always wants to answer in a better way than you’ve prayed. Sometimes God denies your prayer requests because you’re thinking and asking too small. He wants to give you something bigger! But first, he has to prepare you for it. So God uses delays in answering prayer to help you grow, get ready, and prepare for a bigger and better answer. Remember, “God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20 NCV).
Do not forget to join us for prayer every day at 10:00 am! Be Persistent and do not give up!
We love and miss you all
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton & Family