> Reflections

12/02/2013 - Pray and don\’t give up

Pr. Jayme de Amorim

I’m returning to a subject that I’ve
touched upon here before; which is to pray, and to not give up on
prayer. This is because I see that many people seem to pray just to
pray, and I know that this explanation will help them to take better
possession of their blessing.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being
watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2).

The apostle Paul, in the above verse,
speaks of perseverance in prayer; that it should be constant, and
insistent. In other words, you should not give up on prayer, or on
what you determined when you spoke with God. In another Biblical
passage, we encounter the Lord Jesus talking about the need to pray
always, and to never give up on prayer itself (Luke 18:1).

The truth is that people pray, and if
a miracle doesn’t happen quickly, they start thinking: “I didn’t
pray right. I’ve gotta pray harder”. “Maybe prayer can’t fix
this”, or “I should find somebody who’s prayers are more powerful
than mine”. All of this goes through a persons’ head, without them
even considering the affliction that arises when they think that the
problem is some sin, and that that’s why God is not responding. Of
course, if you have sinned, the Lord really won’t be able to respond.
If this is the case, it is through confession that you will be both
forgiven and blessed. What generally happens, is that some action
of the Devil, some false reasoning, is what makes a person give up on
prayer.

At our headquarters, like in many
other places, I site the case of Isaac; who persevered in prayer for
his wife Rebekah who was steril. He didn’t give up, and prayed
insistently for twenty years, until the blessing came (Genesis
25:19-25). During this time, there was certainly much struggle. His
wife would have her period and he would ask her: “What’s going on?”
and she would say: “Everything’s normal”. If she was
occasionally late, that would bring hope, and then frustration.
Isaac, however, didn’t give up. He stayed strong, and the blessing
came.

The secret
to success it to beat anxiety. Paul, in Philippians 4:6.7 says that
we shouldn’t be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. I
understood the following; that when I pray, if I don’t get immediate
results, and begin to get anxious, that I should go back to face God.
This is not to pray harder, but to say: “Lord, I didn’t give up on
prayer, and this bad thing has already been scorned, and cursed in
the name of Jesus. The victory will certainly be mine, and your name
will be glorified!”

Here’s an example of what I mean:
Consider a relative who’s an alcoholic. You start praying,
determining, and cursing that thing, and yet it seems like the
situation gets worse, and that your prayers are not working. You
start to get restless. Anxiety arises in your thoughts: “I’ve got
to pray harder; I’ve got to find somebody who prays more strongly
than I do”. You don’t even notice that it’s the devil who’s trying
to make you give up, when you should be unaffected by him, saying:
“It’s not going to work devil, your vice is cursed and I’m not
letting you have anything to do with my prayer”. The Word says:
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

So, when you pray, don’t give up on
praying; stay strong, struggle against all odds, and praise God, all
in the certainty that He is the one in control. This does not only
apply to your prayers about vice, but also about sickness, or
marital problems, or any work of evil that you may encounter.

I hope that this will contribute to
the spiritual growth of all. Until next time, here in this column,
or on one of our TV shows, in the Name of Jesus.

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