Pastor’s Corner: “Tenacious Prayer”
Romans 12:12 (NLT) – 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
Most Christians are quickly stirred to guilt whenever the topic of prayer is raised. We all know we need to pray more often. And so we should. But as we increase our time in prayer, let us also remember to apply the words of Christ when he told us that we “ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Lk.18:1).
Nineteenth-century pastor and evangelist George Mueller cared for thousands of orphans in England and was known to be great man of faith. He decided to pray for five personal friends who did not yet know the Lord, and it wasn’t until five years later that the first of them came to faith. After five years, two more became Christians. And after 25 years, the fourth came to Christ. Until he died, Mueller prayed for the last person who had not yet believed. And that friend finally came to know the Lord after his death. In total, George Mueller prayed for his five friends for more than 50 years.
Sometimes we pray for something that really seems like the will of God, but the Lord doesn’t give it to us when we ask. When nothing happens, we think that God has abandoned us. We want to know what went wrong. But Jesus would say, “Keep at it. Luke 11:9 (NKJV) – 9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Keep praying, keep seeking, and keep knocking. Don’t give up. Apply yourself. Be persistent.”
Some people approach prayer as if it were just a polite greeting card. Something nice to do. A few sentences filled with pleasant thoughts. Or it is an obligation, something they feel they should do.
But the Bible describes a different kind of prayer. James 5:16-18 (NKJV) – The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
“Effective, fervent prayer avails much.” It can accomplish great things. It can open doors. It can lead to real change and even miracles! How do we experience this life-changing prayer? The Bible tells us that this prayer must be “effective” and “fervent.” However, in the original Greek, there is only one word. It is the source of the English word, “energy.”
Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the One who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference. Don’t worry about having the right words; worry more about having the right heart. It’s not eloquence he seeks, just honesty.
These are the best words of advice I have heard on prayer: pray when you feel like it, pray when you don’t feel like it; pray until you do feel like it.”
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton