A POWERFUL INCENTIVE TO PRAY!
Luke 18:1 is a powerful INCENTIVE to pray and a WARNING for us in this verse, “Pray lest you lose heart”- to give up, quit! The alternative to persistent prayer is- Lose Heart. “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.{discouraged.} –{2 Cor 4:1}. “lose heart”-To give up before achieving the goal.
- “LOSE HEART”… “Lose heart” comes from a Greek verb egkakeō, which means “to become weary,” “to give in” or “to become a coward,”{John MacAthur}
“The Greek word “Egkakeo conveys the idea of becoming exhausted or fainthearted in view of a trial or difficulty and therefore giving up (“throwing in the towel” to use a modern expression). This attitude is the opposite of Paul’s charge that we be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing (let this truth motivate you to keep on keeping on!) that your toil is not (absolutely is not) in vain in the Lord” {1 Cor 15:58}-{preceptaustin}
Think about it, the alternative to you pressing on in prayer be it in the good times – the sunny times, in the dark cloud moments, the changing circumstances and feelings is to give up and give in to evil, and end up in despair! GIVE UP… END UP In Despair!
And in doing so miss the opportunity to co-labor with God in the work, and express love to God through choosing disobedience.
Often our love and commitment can be measured at the point we give up trusting and obeying Him. At that point, we simply though not verbally say “I don’t believe You… You can’t be trusted!”
I don’t write this to be unkind. For I am the King of quitting,” But God…” does not GIVE UP on us, thankfully, For He who began a good work IN us will complete it. – ( Read Phil 1:6). He is working to mature us, to be Christlike.,to develop our trust in Him and one way we express that we trust Him is we persevere in praying to Him!
I love Romans 15:4-5, I have come to have much rest in it over some difficult, dark days, “these things are written they THROUGH PERSEVERANCE and THE ENCOURAGEMENT of the SCRIPTURES you might have HOPE.” Verse 5 says…God who “GIVES perseverance…” We are not asked to manufacture it but in reliance upon Him by His Spirit to work in us and strengthen us to persevere, we understand that we can and so we choose to. And if we stop? Start again, depending upon Him resting in Him to empower you to keep your eye on Him and knowing that in doing so you are Doing His will in the matter and expressing love to Him and spiritually it’s the safest for you!
Here is a verse that has encouraged me,” For God is working IN you, GIVING YOU the DESIRE and the POWER TO DO what PLEASES Him.” He works IN us and sometimes that means He has to work OUT of us those wrong attitudes such as He is a “Fast Food Service, existing to serve us!” At times I simply ask Him in different areas I struggle with to please Give me HIS DESIRE and thank Him for the accompanying Power to do what PLEASES Him. And in this case to… persevere in prayer.
But this does not mean where there is a given command we wait until we feel like it, for we will always have the power to obey…But we acknowledge our sinfulness and need of Him to empower us to persevere. Like Paul He weans us of self-reliance to an increasing God dependency-(Read 2 Cor 1:9)
Over the years, especially in some of my sickest times when I have been sleep deprived, in a lot of pain, bedridden and exhausted, I have simply said, “LORD I am going to pray out of love for You,” I have had to bring my mind back to Center my motive when I have felt like giving up.
John 14:21 gives us an example of expressing love to Him through obedience and since prayer is a command…We can express love to Him through persevering in prayer, persevere out of an expressing of love to Him, you can do that by His empowering us!
Well, pain again was my alarm clock this morning, to wake me up. Painful, and with it the nausea, weakness, and weariness that accompanies the diseases, and so it was difficult thinking.. despair seeking to nestle down…. and so I thought of Luke 18:1 and scribbled down the above thoughts to talk to myself to … begin to and keep praying.
Persevering in praying does not mean you do nothing but pray for twenty-four hours but it means you are alert to, and whatever the circumstances you can turn it into prayer and this is what it means to “pray without ceasing,” -( 1 Thess 1:18) Ask Him to help you, remind you to turn circumstances, and people who come to mind or you see today into prayers to Him.
- Be alert,
- Be ready,
- Be persevering….
Like riding a bike keep peddling for if you stop what happens? You often fall off …. Keep peddling… keep praying. He is trustworthy!
Well, I’ve had a little chat with myself in writing down these thoughts, and though I am not well enough to get out of bed, I can, by His grace… pray on
Love you. God bless.
Aidan.