Things Never Change, Until They Do

Have you ever had the feeling nothing is going to happen, and then something happens.  Let me speak with a bit more clarity.  Let's say that you are looking for a job.  It feels like you have put in 1,000 application and no one is calling.  Then one day, the phone rings and you have a job interview.

Prayer often feels that way.  It feels like nothing is going to happen.  We pray and we pray, and it appears that nothing is going on.  We watch, but no changes appear to be coming.  Then one day, there is a knock at the door and something happens.

Persistence in prayer is a difficult thing, because we are by nature finite creatures.  We cannot see the end of all things.  We can't seem to be figure out how it is all supposed to work out.  We want things done in our time, in our way.

When we persist in prayer, especially in light of seemingly never changing situation, it is a demonstration of faith in the faithfulness of God.  The person who repeatedly turns to the Father in prayer is expressing his unwavering belief that his prayer will be heard and answered.  

However, when we abandon prayer it reflects a frustration with situation that stems from a lack of faith.  We stop praying because we feel our prayers to be of no use, or that they are falling on deaf ears.  Thus, when we cease to pray we are calling the God's faithfulness into question.

The next time you feel that nothing is going to happen, remind yourself of the last you felt that way, and of how something unexpected did happen.  Remind yourself of the faithfulness of God, and commit yourself to tenaciously clinging to Him by faith. Persist in faith, persist in prayer.