Practical Revival: Perseverance in Prayer

I've been waiting to be able to write this one. I think I'm still digesting all the things I've read from The Law of Revival, endeavoring to practice being revived. A practical revival should follow, don't you think?

It's been few weeks where I've been, let's just say, down. I just felt so worn out within and without. I wish I could be burning and zealous for the things of God. You know, contacting and shepherding people, going on the gospel, be involved with a Christian club on campus, and so forth. Yet I just could not attain to whatever I was supposed to be or do. Does this sound familiar to you? The Lord Jesus is good. He has provided two ways for me to go on and be revived.

Persevere in Prayer

Recently some of us have been endeavoring to develop a prayer life. So I'd say it is not a coincidence that there has been a continuous stream of obstacles and oppositions coming our way. 

Ephesians 6:18 says,
"By means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit, and watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints."
This week I was reading a ministry book on prayer that explained "all perseverance... not only one kind of perseverance, but all kinds of perseverance. You have to persist; you have to insist to the uttermost. This indicates that there may be something holding you down, holding you back, suppressing, oppressing, depressing, hindering you. So you have to persevere; you have to be persistent; you have to insist; you would not give up."

So all week long, I may be limping in my service to the Lord, heavyhearted, but so much the more I would persist to take time to sit before Him, in His Word, uttering honest prayers concerning where I'm at, and then quickly turning my eyes upon Jesus, thanking Him, and joining His prayers. You know what, the truth is my feelings don't always match with my prayers. Even as I pray, I have to resist my downcast condition and persist to pray with desperation, to touch the living God.

Maybe this account is too subjective for you. Yet the Bible is so clear. "Persevere in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving," Colossians 4:2 says. Actually the only way for us to persevere in prayer is to pray, pray with thanksgiving. 

Thank You, Lord, I can pray.
Thank You, Lord, for You have wonderfully made me and placed me where I'm at.
Thank You, Lord, that You're in me and I'm in you.
Thank You, Lord, for Your perfect will. Your heart is always good toward us.

Secondly, the Lord is faithful to put someone to whom we can open concerning our spiritual condition. Continue to my next post, Practical Revival: Being Open to One Another.

Comments

  1. Persevere in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving. Giving thanks helps us to persevere in prayer. I enjoy your simple words of thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We need to learn how to have honest conversations with the Lord and come to Him just as we are. 2 Chron. 16:9 says "The eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout all the earth to strengthen those whose heart is perfect toward Him." Perfect here has the sense of honest and sincere.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for reading, everyone. 2 Chronicles 16:9 is such a strengthening and comforting word. Lord, grant us a perfect heart toward You.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, pray with thanksgiving. And pray with simplicity, like the four examples you give and others in holdingtotruth.com/2012/08/16/10-prayers-every-morning by Tom.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for sharing more examples of simple prayers. I found that those prayers really work.

    Oftentimes we pray to get an answer, but actually the main function of prayer, in my experience, is to touch a living Person, to breathe Him in, to absorb Him into our very being. That's why prayer never gets old.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I enjoy the fact that by giving thanks we can persevere in prayer.

    Lord, remind us to be thankful.

    Thank you, Katherine, for your post.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you for your post, Katherine! I'm reading Law of Revival too, and looking to apply it in my daily experience so that I could grow in Him.

    Today I'm enjoying this simple but profound aspect of prayer: "Praying allows the Lord and gives the Lord the preeminence in our being at that particular time." What a wonderful thing! We have a way to just let our most precious One occupy us.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Joanne, thank you for reading this blog. I'm thrilled that more and more people are reading this book. It's a life-changing experience.

    You're right. In my experience, whenever the Lord loses preeminence in our being, in our daily living, that's when frustrations come in.

    May the Lord remind us to pray in a way that we would be open to Him and allow Him to take charge and be the preeminent One in our whole being.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christians on Campus - The Reason I Went to College at UT Austin

Summer 2012 Puerto Rico Blending Trip: The People

Crossing The River Jordan

MVP: The Most Valuable Person in the Lord's Eyes

Only Lovers Can Be Mighty