And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”–Luke 18:1

As I look at my prayer list I am reminded that a great many folks are suffering and in great need of prayer–God forbid that I should fail them. I came across the following article in my files that reminded me of this great responsibility. Hopefully it will encourage you to continue in prayer. 

Christ went more readily ad crucem (to the cross), than we do to the throne of grace.—Thomas Watson

Great military leader and devout Christian General Robert E. Lee once wrote, “Knowing that intercessory prayer is our mightiest weapon and the supreme call for all Christians today, I pleadingly urge our people everywhere to pray. Believing that prayer is the greatest contribution that our people can make in this critical hour, I humbly urge that we take time to pray—to really pray. Let there be prayer at sunup, at noonday, at sundown, at midnight—all through the day. Let us all pray for our children, our youth, our aged, our pastors, our homes. Let us pray for our churches. Let us pray for ourselves, that we may not lose the word ‘concern’ out of our Christian vocabulary. Let us pray for our nation. Let us pray for those who have never known Jesus Christ and redeeming love, for moral forces everywhere, for our national leaders. Let prayer be our passion. Let prayer be our practice.”

Prayer is one of the great privileges of the Christian life. Lowly, sinful human beings are allowed to approach the Holy of holies, the Lord God, the Creator of the earth. The very One who set the stars in the sky and formed the tiny ant invites you into a daily time of conversation, confession, requests, and praise with Him. He desires to hear personally from you.

Yet sadly, many times we can become weary in our prayers. We bring a request before God for a length of time, and after not seeing God’s answer right away, we can become discouraged and give up.

In the closing verses of John 17, Jesus teaches about His second coming. After presenting that great truth, Jesus gives the admonition in 18:1 that “men ought always to pray and faint not.”

God does not want us to “lose heart” in our prayer lives, but has promised to be our advocate as we are faithful to continually seek Him in prayer.

When we pray, we come before God with a pure heart and lay our requests at His feet, trusting Him to take care of them. God has three answers to our petitions: yes, no, or wait. Sometimes what we are asking is in the will of God; sometimes it’s not in our best interest; and sometimes God’s timing is not right yet.

Have you ever prayed over something for months or even years without seeing results? Do not become discouraged. God hears your prayers! Praying faithfully takes faith to know that God hears what you are asking and is working everything out for your good. God has a plan for that request and will fulfill it in His time.

Think of that one request you have been praying about for a while. Do you believe that God can and will answer your request? Do you trust that His answer will be perfect, even if it doesn’t match your desired outcome? Then have faith and continue praying faithfully, trusting that God is in control.

Old age can be a most rewarding period of life. For those who have found the satisfaction of a loving and close relationship with the Heavenly Father through faith in His Son, the ‘sunset years” can be more appropriately labeled the ‘golden years.”

Henry Durbanville felt that way. In his book The Best Is Yet To Be he wrote, ‘I feel so sorry for folks who don’t like to grow old…I revel in my years. They enrich me…I would not exchange…the abiding rest of soul, the measure of wisdom I have gained from the sweet and bitter and perplexing experiences of life; nor the confirmed faith I now have in the…love of God, for all the bright and uncertain hopes and tumultuous joys of youth. Indeed, I would not! These are the best years of my life…The way grows brighter; the birds sing sweeter; the winds blow softer; the sun shines more radiantly than ever before. I suppose ‘my outward man’ is perishing, but ‘my inward an’ is being joyously renewed day by day.

Robertson McQuilkin wrote, ‘God planned the strength and beauty of youth to be physical. But the strength and beauty of age is spiritual. We gradually lose the strength and beauty that is temporary so we’ll be sure to concentrate on the strength and beauty that is forever.” –Our Daily Bread

“Be careful for nothing—-” (Phil. 4:6). No anxiety ought to be found in a believer. Great, many and varied may be our trials, our afflictions, our difficulties, and yet there should be no anxiety under any circumstances, because we have a Father in Heaven who is almighty, who loves His children as He loves His only-begotten Son, and whose very joy and delight it is to succor and help them at all times and under all circumstances. We should attend to the Word, “In nothing be anxious, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

“In everything,” that is not merely when the house is on fire, not merely when the beloved wife and children are on the brink of the grave, but in the smallest matters of life, bring everything before God, the little things, the very little things, what the world calls trifling things — everything — living in holy communion with our Heavenly Father, arid with our precious Lord Jesus all day long. And when we awake at night, by a kind of spiritual instinct again turning to Him, and speaking to Him, bringing our various little matters before Him in the sleepless night, the difficulties in connection with the family, our trade, our profession. Whatever tries us in any way, speak to the Lord about it.

“By prayer and supplication,” taking the place of beggars, with earnestness, with perseverance, going on and waiting, waiting, waiting on God.

“With thanksgiving.” We should at all times lay a good foundation with thanksgiving. If everything else were wanting, this is always present, that He has saved us from hell. Then, that He has given us His Holy Word — His Son, His choicest gift — and the Holy Spirit. Therefore we have abundant reason for thanksgiving. O let us aim at this!

“And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” And this is so great a blessing, so real a blessing, so precious a blessing, that it must be known experimentally to be entered into, for it passeth understanding. O let us lay these things to heart, and the result will be, if we habitually walk in this spirit, we shall far more abundantly glorify God, than as yet we have done.  –George Mueller, in Life of Trust

“It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good”. (1 Sam. 3:18)

See God in everything, and God will calm and color all that thou dost see!” It may be that the circumstances of our sorrows will not be removed, their condition will remain unchanged; but if Christ, as Lord and Master of our life, is brought into our grief and gloom, “HE will compass us about with songs of deliverance.” To see HIM, and to be sure that His wisdom cannot err, His power cannot fail, His love can never change; to know that even His direst dealings with us are for our deepest spiritual gain, is to be able to say, in the midst of bereavement, sorrow, pain, and loss, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath, taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Nothing else but seeing God in everything will make us loving and patient with those who annoy and trouble us. They will be to us then only instruments for accomplishing His tender and wise purposes toward us, and we shall even find ourselves at last inwardly thanking them for the blessings they bring us. Nothing else will completely put an end to all murmuring or rebelling thoughts.–H. W. Smith.