“…Ought always to Pray and Not Faint” {Lose Heart.}-{Luke 18:1).
I was laying in a hospital bed one morning, there to have a test that I knew nothing about what it would entail when two medical people walked into my room and stood on each side of me when one began to speak without introducing herself or her colleague said, “If you feel you are going to pass out don’t fight it!” Later on, I was moved to a room where the test would take place and again the other person said “If you feel you are going to pass out, don’t fight it!” Apparently, some people do from the test. I was determined to fight it! Well, I quietly prayed and asked the LORD if it pleased Him that He would help me not to pass out. What happens when you “faint,” pass out? You lose all sense of what is happening around you. You are out of it!
Jesus tells His disciples that failure to pray will lead to them “losing heart” or to “faint,” {“Egkakeo”}. The word speaks of becoming so disheartened and discouraged, you give up, quit, lose heart, to lose courage, and become cowardly. To Spiritually pass out.
God’s Remedy is to COMMAND, not a suggestion, not asking you to go with how you “feel” but commands you to Pray “always” which speaks of persistently! Jesus shows prayer is a Preservative from losing heart and spiritually fainting! The context is the second coming. Jesus has come once and His disciples as are we in between His first coming and awaiting His second coming. And in light of His coming again He tells His disciples to keep praying. He told them this for their own good, their emotional, mental, and spiritual good, and so it is for us. He tells us this as He desires our good! This is for our spiritual safety!
Prayer Is A Preservative not to hunker down in retreat but to strengthen us to go forward in faith in a Faithful God!
Prayer is a preservative for us. A Spiritual weapon to be used…
You feel discouraged? Pray.
You feel like giving up? Pray.
You are becoming disillusioned with what you see around you? Pray.
You feel overwhelmed? Pray.
You have experienced a great loss? Pray!
You don’t see answers to your prayers? Pray!
You Don’t feel like praying? Pray!
You are weary in the fight of faith? Pray!
You Feel anxious? Pray!
You Feel tempted? Pray!
Have You left your first Love for Christ? Pray!
Are you ashamed of some sin? Pray!
Are you feeling condemned? Pray!
Are you listening to the evil one’s thoughts of accusation and condemnation and living in despair as a result? Pray!
Begin afresh and Pray!
Prayer is not only a Preservative from Losing Heart, spiritually fainting, becoming discouraged, and giving up, and the motivation in the passage is the reality that Jesus is coming again, He will return, whether in our lifetime or not, He is coming, so keep praying!
So, put your name in the passage and read it and speak to yourself to encourage your own heart, “______ought always to pray and not lose heart.”
Pray it for others…
Also, ask them to put their names in the passage, and every time they too will come up with what the LORD Jesus says to us all that we “ought always to pray and not faint {lose heart}.”
Prayer is not confined or limited to a specific, time, place, posture, occasion, circumstance, or trial, but we “ought always” be alert to turn all of life into opportunities to pray, and talk to God. God in His mercy and kindness does not limit our access to Him or limit our time to speak to Him, but His lavishness of grace towards us affords us opportunities to access to Him ALL the time, for He knows we need to!
Oh, and because of His kindness, I am so thankful I did not pass out physically during the hour-plus-long test and so thankful I did get to share about the LORD with both the medical people in the room…Thankful by His grace that I did not pass out spiritually to what or who was around me, alert to opportunities… and Jesus teaches us that prayer is a means not to…but to strengthen us and keep us spiritually alert.
Here’s the point…
PRAY OR {SPIRITUALLY} PASS OUT!
GOD BLESS AND ENCOURAGE YOU- to Keep on PERSEVERING IN PRAYER.
Aidan.