Persistence in Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer, and I found it interesting that my Bible reading schedule brought me to Nehemiah whom I discovered was a man who persisted in prayer and ultimately saw God answer.

Nehemiah was informed that the Jews who had escaped and survived captivity were in distress and that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down.

"Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven."

                                      Nehemiah 1:4

Nehemiah prayed diligently, and sincerely interceded for the people for three months before God answered his prayers. This got me thinking about the attitudes we tend to have toward prayer today.

• Do we offer 'token' prayers because we said we would pray but we're short on time? Or, do we feel sorrow and compassion and a burden which spurs us into heartfelt intercession? Nehemiah wept, mourned and fasted along with his prayers. He took it seriously and came before God with humility, sincerity and faith.
• We live in an "instant gratification" society. We can have immediate access to pretty much any information we want on the internet. Most of us can't imagine going back to a dial-up connection speed. We have TV on demand, cell-phones which act like computers in the palm our hand, we can instantly download a song, instant message with friends anywhere in the world, pay our bills with the click of a mouse, and more. So, when it comes to prayer, are we expecting God to respond in like manner? Are we willing to wait upon the Lord and give Him time to answer? It's not that God can't answer quickly; He is capable of doing whatever He wills whenever He chooses, but His timing is perfect and He knows what is best for us. Nehemiah persisted in prayer and so should we. Often we just give up too easy because God didn't answer right away we think He's not going to; but His word does not teach us that. In fact, we are told to "pray without ceasing", 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

God does answer prayer, if you have trouble seeing that, consider starting a prayer journal and write down your prayer requests, write down your praises. In time you can look back and see the evidence of God's faithfulness to hear your prayers and answer them.

Be committed to prayer, pray with sincere motives, be persistent in prayer, and pray in faith!

Have a blessed day!!