7 Portraits in Prayer, Day 4: Evening

Week 1, Power to Pray, Day 4: Perseverance

(Read Exodus 17:12) 

There is so much more to speak on persevering in your prayers and how that conveys God’s power. For now, read what a contemporary of Brother Lawrence wrote about this Carmelite monk in the year 1666.

“That his prayer was nothing else but a sense of the presence of God, his soul being at that time insensible to everything but Divine love: and that when the appointed times of prayer were past, he found no difference, because he still continued with God, praising and blessing Him with all his might, so that he passed his life in continual joy; yet hoped that God would give him somewhat to suffer, when he should grow stronger.”

     Do you long for God’s presence so much that nothing but divine love is in your senses, that whether you are praying or not, you are always conveying that you are in His presence? Do you hope that God will give you something to suffer for, so that your prayer life will grow stronger? Perhaps not, but if you want your prayers to grow more powerfully, then keep on keeping on, no matter how heavy your hands get.

Prayer can be a drudgery, but it shouldn’t be. When you don’t feel an interaction with God, it may seem like prayer is a little, well, one-sided.  Few people I know commune with God and get verbal responses.

Did I say few? No one I know gets regular verbal audible responses from God, although a few people have said they have on rare occasions actually heard a vocal response.

But if you listen, you can discern God’s unvoiced communication. Relax. Speak. Talk to God, out loud if it helps. Then be quiet. Ask questions and listen for His responses.

How can you discern whether it is God? You line it up with Scripture because God will not contradict Himself. That inner voice may be your own, so with time you can learn to distinguish between your desires and His. In time, through perseverance, your desires will merge with His desires. And maybe that’s the purpose of perseverance in prayer.

Yes, prayer is a result of a relationship and yes, it should be natural, and no, it is not always a struggle. But, if you are not praying with God, then you need to fight through complacency. If you are praying, you may need to struggle, wrestle, strive, and labor to make sure you are properly interceding to God.

 

Pray this prayer to God: “Lord, I am tired, weak, and worn. My strength is gone at times as I come to You. Bring me alongside of you to take Your yoke as I lay my burdens down. This world is not too difficult to overcome when I have Your power residing in me. Hear me and hearten my weaknesses, for when I am weak, You are strong. Amen..”

Click here for Day 5, Morning.