“A Prophetic Word” Day 11: Pray without ceasing!

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭ESV

Jesus told a parable about an unjust judge, illustrating the importance of persistence in prayer.

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”

Luke 18:1 ESV

Jesus went on to say that a widow was finally granted justice because she wouldn’t give the judge any peace until he ruled in her behalf.

“He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”

Luke 18:2-5 ESV

Jesus then made the point that if a judge who didn’t fear God or respect man would do the right thing because of a widow’s persistence, how much more will God bring justice for His people who refuse to relent in prayer.

“And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭6-‭7 ESV‬‬

Jesus then added that whereas that is true, it is also true that many people will give up seeking after the Lord, that when He returns, He will find them no longer standing in faith.

“Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Luke 18:8 ESV

Actually, the fastest way to lose heart, to lose our stand of faith, is to stop seeking after the Lord in prayer. Think about it: Jesus encourages us to be persistent in prayer, and in so doing, persistently receive from the Lord. As well, our faith will stay renewed through whatever we may endure.

Remember, prayer is not hard to understand. Neither is it complicated to do.

Prayer is communicating with our Father. It’s that simple. And when we stay mindful of Him, we set ourselves toward an ongoing attitude of prayer.

When asked by His disciples, how they ought to pray, Jesus gave a very simple prayer.

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:9-13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Praying this simple prayer every day, is a good place to start your prayer journey!

Additionally, through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, we now have the Lord’s Spirit continually communicating from us to the throne of God.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Child of God, let us humble ourselves before our Father and ask Him to bring us back to the chamber of prayer where wisdom is dispensed, justice is birthed, mercy is received, healing is realized, and circumstances are bent to the will of God.

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

‭‭James‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!