Persist

Gal.6:9 (VOICE, emphasis added) “May we never tire of doing what is good and right before our Lord because in His season we shall bring in a great harvest if we can just persist.”

The challenge for us as human beings is that we get tired too easily. People get distracted or bored very easily and we give up easily. But God is saying to you today, do not stop calling. The One that is telling you not to stop calling is a flawless judge. God is a flawless judge, just, caring, and He is full of mercy. Do not stop calling; if the unjust judge can answer that woman, how much more God? However, some of us have not even started calling. For you, God is saying it is not over, do not stop calling, you need to start calling. When things happen, we think that we can sort it out by ourselves. So, we do not call for or ask for help. Interestingly, some people think they do not need to bother God. They think that because they can handle things, they do not need God. However, Jesus says, “Pray, give us this day our daily bread.”

Some people find it insulting to ask God for daily bread when they have so much money in their bank account. Why should I ask God for daily bread when I know what I have in my fridge and when my pantry is fully stocked? I have my daily bread! Yet Jesus says, “Pray – give us this day our daily bread”, because He knows that the fact that the bread is in your kitchen does not mean it can make it into your stomach. There are so many people with fully stocked pantries, but they cannot touch the bread unless it is handed to them. Man always finds himself in a place where he struggles with self-reliance or God-reliance. God is saying, for those that have not been asking, you need to start asking. For those that have been asking, you need to continue asking. Do not stop asking, do not stop praying, do not stop calling.

For illustration, I want you to think of prayer as mountain climbing. Imagine that at the peak of the mountain is victory. The day you start praying, your journey to the top begins and you start gaining altitude. The apparent gravitational pull of the mountain, the sharp rocky surface, the harsh weather can be discouraging so people stop calling. But as soon as people stop praying, they start to lose altitude. If they remain in that place of prayerlessness, they drop back to the base of the mountain. Then people begin to complain that God is not acting. Yes, you called but you stopped. When you start again, you would be starting at the base of the mountain.

Prayer (song): You are my strength when I am weak. You are the treasure that I seek. You are my all in all. Seeking You as a precious jewel. Lord, to give up I’d be a fool. You are… Amen!