Every day is a gift!
Read Luke 18 in your Bible. Or you can also read it here.
I really appreciate the story found in Luke 18:1-8. And I truly love the way it starts off by saying that “Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (v 1). If you have been following my blog this year, then you know I wrote a lot about prayer this past spring. (If you missed those posts, you can find them all here.)
I learned so much about prayer through those posts. And one thing in particular is the sense of peace that we get when we cling to God in prayer.
Some people give up on prayer too easily. They complain that God isn’t listening or answering. And yes the truth is that our prayers might not always be answered the way we want or as quickly as we want.
However, when we stay anchored to God in prayer, we feel peace because we know that the One and Only Almighty God is on the other end of our prayer line. He is listening, so Don’t Give Up! And that is what Jesus is trying to tell us in Luke 18.
Pastor Robert Morris has an encouraging and amazing book entitled, Why Keep Praying. I highly recommend it. It is not a long book. So even those who don’t like to read can digest it. In this book he says about Luke 18:1-8: “Jesus was saying, ‘Dear friends, I want to encourage you to pray and to keep praying. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged. Don’t become weary or tired. Don’t give in to despair. Keep seeking God because (unlike the cranky old judge in the story) He cares deeply about you and will certainly hear and respond.’”
Prayer is vital in our walk with God. Staying in connection with Him, every day, affects all areas of our life. Our relationship with God will strengthen. God will guide us down the right path. Our character will develop in a beautiful way, as we become more like Jesus. And we will experience God’s love like never before. May we remember to pray, every day, and never give up.
If you are also participating in the Gratitude Challenge, today is day 89 of 100. Don’t forget to write down today’s blessings.
© 2021 Bridget A. Thomas
Reading your post on prayer reminded me of a quote by FB Meyer
“ The greatest tragedy is not in unanswered prayer but in unoffered prayer. “
Don’t be afraid, or get tired or get weary but keep seeking God – Amen to that 🙏🏽.
Christ himself spent so much time in prayer and that itself is such a direct reminder for us if the need for us to spend time in prayer with God.
Blessings my friend 🤗🌺
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What a great quote and one that really gives us something to ponder. Prayer is vital to our Christian walk. Yet how often does it get skipped or overlooked. This precious gift is often taken for granted. May we learn to pray continually as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Blessings to you too, dear friend! ♥️🤗
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Prayer does change us and it changes things! We do need to persevere in prayer. Our flesh doesn’t always naturally want to pray but with God’s help we can push past those feelings. There is always a blessing connected to spending time with God in prayer. As the Bible says, we are to pray without ceasing. 🙏🏿
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Prayer is such an amazing gift that we have. And yes it can be difficult to pray at times. As you mentioned, our flesh gets in the way. But I am so thankful that the Lord never gives up on us! And when we take the time to pray, we find that peace that surpasses understanding 🙌✝️🙏
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I’ve been enjoying your series on Luke, Bridget. This post especially hits home—with the focus on persistent praying. It’s not a legalistic formula, but a crying out God from the heart. Blessings!
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Thank you, David. I am glad you are enjoying the series. That means a lot. I am so thankful that God can bring us together like this to honor Him and savor our Savior. And I love the way you put that about prayer – a crying out from the heart. So true. And it’s so amazing to know that we have access to communicate with Almighty God anytime and anywhere! 🙏
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Prayer is a vital part of our Christian walk, Bridget. Thank you for this post and the reminder.
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Thank you for stopping by and reading, Devotional Guy 😊 Yes, prayer is so important. I pray we all can learn to cling tightly to the Lord and a strong prayer life.
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