[soc.religion.christian] Some Thoughts on Persevering Prayer

gfs@icd.ab.com (06/03/91)

Kevin Megill raises some good questions regarding prayer, and persevering
in prayer:

|	It seems clear Biblically that perseverance in prayer can sometimes
|	increase the effectiveness of the prayer.  (I am talking about 
|	petition or intercession specifically and by effectiveness I mean
|	simply whether what we prayed for happens.  I realize there is
|	more to prayer than that.)  
|
|	But if I pray once for something, doesn't it display a lack of
|	faith to pray a second time?  See for eg, Mark 11:23, 24.

I would like to share my insight on this subject.

I have found that a very close companion to faith is trust.  That is, I can
often best measure my faith in something by asking, "am I trusting that
such and such will happen."  Specifically, I find that having faith in a 
prayer made in faith to the Lord our Master, is trusting God for the solution
to whatever the situation is.

This, then, gives a perspective on persevering prayer.  When something comes
up in our life, we come to a point in which we decide with the entire depth
of our soul, mind, body and strength that we specifically ask our Father for
help for something.  Most of the time, that which we will be asking for help
on is "loading us down" in some way, that is, causing us grief, pain, anguish,
or concern.  A family member or close friend or even a perfect stranger in pain
or trouble causes us hurt through our love and compassion for them.

Blessed are we if turning to God with our burdens is like an automatic
reflex.  Sometimes, though, it takes us a little while to realize that we
should ask for God's help.  Why do we wait?  We shouldn't, but sometimes we
do.  A walk of life in constant, continuous union and prayer with God, a
life lived in the spirit, gives us a moment to moment sharing of our life
experiences with God.  God is like a friend walking at our side.  If we let
Him, He is there, live, real-time, immediate, every moment.  There is no delay
between the difficulties of life coming to us and us sharing God
shouldering the burdens with us.

But until we reach that perfection of walking with God, we often have to realize
in particular cases to specifically pray for something.  So we ask for help
and give that burden to the Lord.  Through Jesus' shed blood and sacrifice,
we know that the way is open to Almighty Creator God of all that is seen
and unseen, and that God hears our prayers and knows our needs.

Now, we should live in a spirit of trust that the matter is in God's hands.
A couple days go by.  Are you still trusting God?  This is what really counts
to God, that you trust Him.  This is how a prayer with a lot of faith is
different from a prayer with no faith.  The child of God who asks his Daddy
out of genuine love and trust, and continues to trust and love God, this
is true faith, this loving trusting.   This loving trusting is a type of
persevering prayer.  Prayer does not have to be the requesting over and over
again.  Prayer is communication with God, communion, union, unity with God
our Father.  

Every time we are reminded of the original circumstance for which we uttered
our prayer of request, what is our inward, deep seated reaction?  If there
has been no immediate obvious change yet, do we have a flash of "Oh well,
I guess it [the prayer] didn't work.." ?  That is not trusting.  Do we
doubt?  Do we ask these prayers to see IF they work, IF God is really there?
What if it takes six months, or a year, for the change to happen (as it has
sometimes)  are we impatient?  These reactions are all imperfections in our
trust in God.

You see, true faith is something that is impossible to fake.  It is a 
inherently impossible for true faith to be anything other than perfect,
trusting, love of God our Father.  And it is only in true faith that God
can answer our prayers.  We cannot manipulate God in any way, shape or form.
Never.  There is no formula, procedure, work, or action that binds God
save one.  Love.  If we love God, God will love us back, because that is what
love means.  And if we love God, there will be no manipulation, selfishness
or prayer that is unworthy.  Love and manipulation are mutually exclusive.
And this love we do not have the power in ourselves to create.  The true
love for God is a gift of God to us, it is part of our creation He gives
to us, just as He gave us life in the first place.  We cannot force or
scheme or manipulate true love for God any more than we can will or scheme
or force or manipulate ourselves into existence.  This is God's plan, through
Jesus, that the curtain between heaven and earth, between God's perfect
existance and our imperfect, sinful selves, this curtain is rent open, and
our love can reach God and God's love reaches us.  For God so loved the world
that He sent His Son (who is part of Himself), that we might be saved. 


I often feel a "lightening of the burden", that is the oppressive weight of
a problem that I am praying about, actually lift off of me, as I give this
burden to the Lord, and trust Him to be carrying it with and for me.  My prayer
is like this:  Out of the love and compassion for someone, I share that
persons misfortune and pain.  I approach my Father in Heaven in prayer,
and approach His Loving heart.  As I know and feel my Fathers love for me,
I know He cares about anything that is troubling me.  It is through the 
mutual bonds of love, a three-way bond, myself to God, and myself to the
person or persons I am praying for.  In this way, I willingly bring into
contact the person or persons I am praying for and God Himself. 
I surrender myself totally to God, to be a channel of His Will, His Grace,
His Peace and His Mercy, all aspects of His Holy Spirit.

Think about this.  We have to love each other enough to be close to one
another, to have this bonding to one another, so that we share the burdens
and pain and trouble of another.  If we shut this off, close ourselves off
from caring, "because it hurts too much to care", then we will not be able
to really give this burden to the Lord, because we were unwilling to lift
it up to give to Him in the first place.  True prayer is motivated from the
heart, from caring, from the person-to-person bond of love.  Remember how
Jesus wept when raising Lazarus from the dead.  Remember Jesus' agony in
the garden.  Remember how Jesus was moved to heal those who came to him
in trusting faith, the Roman centurion, the woman who just wanted to touch
his robe.  Remember, Jesus was moved with pity for these people.  His heart
went out to them.  In this compassionate heart reaching out, Jesus puts us
into living contact with Almighty Creator God.  Our prayer is the same,
as we are bonded to God in love, we reach out because we care about others,
and through this living faith and love, God is brought into the world around
us, and we are part of the channel of God's Grace.

What a great gift! That God pours His pledge of Love into what we are
compassionately are moved to love.

Remember, the greatest commandments:  You must love God with your whole
mind, soul, body and strength; and you must love your neighbor as yourself.
Through these commandments and through the Grace of Jesus' shed blood, and
in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Lord's Kingdom comes into
the world and our Father's will is done on earth as it is in heaven.


I hope this insight helps illustrate the relationship of persevering prayer
to faith, love and trust.


Sincerely, In Christ,

Greg Shay

hudson@athena.cs.uga.edu (Paul Hudson Jr) (06/05/91)

 Does praying for the same thing twice mean we have a lack of faith?
 Paul prayed 3 times for his thorn in the flesh, the messenger of satan
 to leave him.  Paul had faith.  Maybe he prayed again because it did not
 go away.