Always Pray, and Never Give Up

Hello my dear readers! It’s been a while I do not write my own post. My last post (except guest post) was in July, it was due to my office work and some other activities. It has been difficult to have a quiet time to write a post. Praise God, finally I got a quiet (although short enough) time to write. My post this time will talk about prayer. This is related to exactly what I am doing. Actually, it has been last year my husband and I continuing to pray earnestly to be able to have a second child. We have gone through some medical tests and everything is well. I don’t know why having a second child isn’t as easy as when God blessed me first child. My parents just gave me a short advice, “Keep praying, and never give up”

Talking about prayer, people have several and different ways of addressing prayer. There’re people who use prayer as an alternative to get what they want. They will be glad and give thank if God has answered his prayer, if God doesn’t answer or grant his prayer, it doesn’t matter and they will simply look for other alternatives. The others think that praying earnestly and continuously just a waste of time. They think that God already knows what we want and need so we don’t have the urge to ask God again. Some are just praying perfunctory, but once their prayer isn’t granted they’re immediately disappointed, blame God, turn their back on God and think God doesn’t care, even worse, they begin to doubt the God’s Word, even His Existence.

So how do we pray? To answer the question, I took the parable of persistent widow that written in Luke 18:1-8. There was a weak widow, she portrayed as an oppressed figure, living in poverty and often being treated unfairly in society. Also there was a despotic judge. Be told that this widow continues plead the despotic judge to defend her rights. The widow said, “Grant me justice against my adversary.”(Luke 18:3) What the judge did? For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”(Luke 18:4-5) My dear friends, I’m focused to the word, “Keep bothering me…” this means that the widow, without giving up, tireless, and persistently went to the judge and continued to asking that her request be granted. So the key of the answer above implied in Jesus’ word to the disciples. We should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1) in other word, like the widow, we have to pray persistently! I strongly believe at the time the judge made decision not based on compassion but solely because the persistence of the widow made him uncomfortable so eventually the widow’s wishes being granted.

After we know how we should pray, now let’s see why we need to keep praying persistently and do not give up. My beloved friends, based on my personal experience in praying, I found that there are four reason why we have to pray persistently and tireless. Let’s look together.

Showing sooth of our faith to God

Prayer is our medium to build relationship with God. Prayer is also a form of expression or declaration of our faith before God that conveyed through the word. When we pray, it shows how our faith and to whom we put faith. The quality of our faith showed by our constant and continuous prayer. Faith must be accompanied with trust, and only those who believe will praying continuously no matter what is the result. Whether it is delighting to them or not.

Showing our faithfulness and patience

Earnest and persistent prayer also shows how deep our faithfulness and patience. When we’re facing hard problems we pray for God’s help. The question is how big our patience waiting for the answer of our prayer also how big we put our hope to God. Impatience often becomes the biggest obstacle for us to get God’s promise and answer. Initially we pray persistently but when the answer doesn’t come as fast as we want, the intensity of our prayer decreases drastically until finally completely stops and we will begin disappointed to God and immediately look for other alternatives that probably against to God. That’s why the fervent prayer become a benchmark of how big our patience and faithfulness to God.

Train us to live by faith.

As we know that faith come by hearing, hearing by God’s word. (Romans 10:17) but we will be difficult to experience faith growth if we don’t do the God’s word in our daily lives. By praying earnestly and continuously, we are already applying what God’s Word want us to do: pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) … continuing steadfastly in prayer (Romans 12:12), And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (Ephesians 6:18), Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation (Matthew 26:41)

Showing sincerity in prayer

Our sincerity in prayer will be reflected by how big the intensity of our prayer. People who aren’t earnestly in prayer will stop quickly, easily give up and despair but those who earnest in prayer will make their life of prayer as a means to build very strong relationship and communication with God. They will not treat prayer as a “tool” like vending machine that easily can provide what they need but they use prayer to tighten their intimacy with God.

Dear friends, what about us now? I really don’t know what you are praying for this time. Maybe you’re struggling in prayer for a baby like me, or maybe you’re praying for your new job or business. Well, it doesn’t matter what are you praying for, this time please allow me to encourage all of us to pray fervently, persistently, and never give up. Please believe that God will hear and answer our prayer. It’s written in the Bible,

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14)

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24)

There’s no prayer that is not heard and answered by God as long as we do the right prayer, with humility, not based on personal desire, fully surrender to God, and with a clean heart. However, even though we know and believe that God hears and will answer our prayers, we must be prepared to accept God’s answer of our prayers because sometime God’s answer not in accordance with things that we expect. If God doesn’t gives the answer as we wish, it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care and loves us. Let’s take a look to 1 John 5:14, there’s a word “according His will…” this means that God’s answer isn’t necessarily in harmony with our will and we cannot force God to always give what we want. When God gives a different answer with our expectation, we have to know that it means God has another better and wonderful plan for us. Maybe it’s hard for us to accept but please remember God’s plan is always the best.

I don’t know when God will answer my prayer for the second child, I also don’t even know if God will grant my prayer or not. This time, what I have to do is only pray, pray, and continue to pray tireless. I strongly believe God will give an answer of my prayer in time and also do believe whatever God’s answer is, that is the best because He knows what the best is for me and my family. I will not be disappointed and angry to God and will not think that earnestly and tireless pray that I did just a waste of time and in vain. Let’s always pray, and never give up. Just waiting for the best answer from God according His will and His time! Amen.

Related reading

Keep Asking by Queen Karen

Karina – Living by Faith

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