Continuing Our Prayers

Meditation for the day taken from Everyday Prayer with John Calvin written by Donald McKim:

Scripture: Ephesians 6:18-20

I suspect that some Christians do grow weary in prayer as they labor day after day to plead with the God of heaven for their loved ones, the sick and infirmed, the needs of their brothers and sisters, and many other things. It can be tiresome labor to be on your knees and yet, see so little response from the Father in heaven. Sometimes these thoughts can cause us to give up, try a little or once, and then move along our day with the nagging and unsettling emotion that God doesn't hear and doesn't seem to care. First, my friends, God does listen to you. You are precious to him, and you belong to him. Second, he does care. He has told his people to cast every care upon him because he cares for them.

The apostle Paul was mindful of the weariness of the saints when he wrote, "always persevere in supplication for all the saints." Paul was not some high-minded intellectual with little to no connection to the reality of life. He was well connected to the emotions and distractions that often befall the people of God. Yet, here, he tells them (and you and me) to persevere -- persevere in prayer. Perseverance is a lost art in our world today. So few people know what it is like to work hard for something, even in the face of significant obstacles and opposition. As soon as they face those things, many give up the pursuit for the ease of a comfortable road. My friends, that is not reality. A cursory reading of human history teaches us that many persevered through some of the hardest of issues.

Many labored against all odds and did so diligently to accomplish whatever it was that they set their hands to do. As Christians, there is no more critical labor than prayer. It is hard work, and it is work that must be diligently pursued and zealously continued. Calvin wrote, "We must press on cheerfully, lest we faint. With unabated ardour, we must continue our prayers, though we do not immediately obtain what we desire." McKim adds, "We cannot expect God always to give us 'instant results' in our prayers. Time and again, we must petition God -- not because he is stubborn or reluctant to answer us but because his will and purposes move according to His timing, not our own."

For many years I have prayed for the salvation of family and loved ones. At this point, God has not been pleased to answer the desires of my heart. Yet, I know that he hears me and that he will justly and righteously answer. So, I pray and must remind myself to persevere in supplication for those I desire to come to Christ. My friends, press on in prayer. Labor on your knees before your Father, who stands able and ready to help you. He loves you, calls you the apple of his eye, and will give you the desires of your heart as you learn to tune yours to his.