OUR HOLY CALLING IS TO PERSEVERE IN PRAYER
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Are you a prayer warrior? Do you unite with the God of all creation to bring about His perfect will? Do you persist in prayer even when answers appear to be a long time in coming? Are you expecting God to do the impossible?
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:21
Our God is sovereign. When we come to Him in prayer, we must first recognize this key attribute. He is in control of all. Nothing happens that is not orchestrated or allowed by Him.
What, then, is the purpose of prayer if God’s plans and purposes always prevail? Why pray if He has already mapped out what will happen? Our prayers may seem insignificant, of little value in the divine scheme of things. Yet they are not inconsequential in the eyes of God.
We are called to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Scripture does not say to pray only until our prayers appear to be of no effect… until we see no answer… until all looks hopeless. It says to persist in prayer despite everything that may try to dissuade us. We see the total sovereignty of God over all the universe, and over every detail of our lives, as the foundation and hope for our prayers.
A believer’s most powerful resource is communion with God in prayer. As we approach prayer from a heavenly perspective… from God’s viewpoint… we see that He values our prayers. Jesus teaches us to pray always and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). Our prayers must then be integral to God’s divine design.
“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry.” – Psalm 34:15
God’s wisdom is infinite… and we cannot grasp the depth of His knowledge. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so are His thoughts and ways higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). Our petitions to Him may not change His mind. Yet He absolutely takes them into account in His sovereign rule.
When God makes and carries out His plans, He plans for us to pray. We may not understand the mind of the Almighty. Yet somehow, He ties our prayers into His holy purposes. To God, prayer is essential. Otherwise, He would not inspire and empower us to pray.
Our prayers can be instrumental in bringing about God’s powerful work in the world and in our own lives. He may wait to act until He hears the petitions of His children. Our prayers may not change what God has planned. Yet they may help bring His plans to fruition.
“Anything big enough to occupy our minds is big enough to hang a prayer on.” – George MacDonald
How can we become a prayer warrior? We first embrace a mindset that prayer is of infinite and eternal value. We realize that our prayers are invaluable in the eyes of God. The impact of our prayers may never be known in this life. Yet we persist in this holy calling to pray.
As a prayer warrior, we come into God’s majestic presence in humble reverence. We affirm His transcendence, His omnipotence, His glory. Our prayers attest to who He is and what He has promised to do for us, His children.
We appeal to God’s attributes and promises. We may direct our prayers to Him for His justice, mercy, grace, power, healing, love, or blessing to prevail in whatever situations we bring before Him. We may remember a specific promise in Scripture and apply it to our prayer concerns. We pray in expectation that He will answer… and ask Him to intervene in a mighty way.
“Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life.” – Jonathan Edwards
We place our faith in the God of the impossible… the all-wise, all-powerful One to whom we are directing our prayers. He listens with a compassionate ear to all our petitions. As we pray, He changes our focus from ourselves to Himself. We see His omnipotence over our situations… and pray expectantly that He will act mightily in response to our prayers. We pray for His divine will to come to pass.
As a prayer warrior, we persevere in our holy calling. We refuse to be discouraged. We know that our prayers change the spiritual world. Thus, we persist… expecting God to act… placing our complete trust in Him to accomplish His purpose and fulfill His promises. For our next prayer just may be the prayer that changes everything.
