Persevering prayer is not for the faint of heart. It’s far easier to give up than it is to go forward. It’s much easier to complain than it is to contend. Griping about our circumstances is natural. Grabbing hold of promises that defy our circumstances? Well that’s gritty and supernatural.

Sometimes prayer feels like the most delightful, intimate fellowship with God, but other times it feels like we’re fighting alone with hands bloodied from battle, and it’s all we can do to hold on to what God has promised us.

But, given the times we’re in, don’t you think we need to learn to prevail in prayer? When it’s delightful and when it feels like a bloody battle? When God is giving us what we want and when He calls us to pray and intercede for what He wants?

Culture seems to be imploding all around us. Evil is on the rise. Selfish people are celebrated while reverent people are mocked. If we look too long at the stats or our circumstances, we can start to wonder if we’re on the losing side.

But remember? We win in the end! Yet even right now, the enemy baits us into one of two ditches:

To shake our fist at the darkness and hate those who defy our God and all that we hold sacred

To put our head in the sand and entertain ourselves to death so we don’t have to face the challenging times we’re in

Both of these options please our natural flesh-tendency but they’re slippery slopes that pull us right into disobedience. God calls us to love our enemies and to pray for those who want to hurt us. He also charges us be focused and alert, prayerful and sober, discerning of the times so we’ll know what to do.

We’re free to walk with Christ in a marginal way (with huge consequences, of course), or in a purposeful, profound way.

We’re saved by grace. But we’re invited to become spiritually agile and prayerfully powerful in a way that transforms us and changes the world. But this process always calls for perseverance. Here’s an important point for all of us to remember: Jesus offers us all the resources of heaven, but He doesn’t force us to lay hold of them. If you’re in a not-yet season, dare to persevere. God is a Promise-Maker and a Promise-Keeper.


A portion of this post was adapted from Susie Larson’s book, .

Featured Songs: Oh, My Soul – Casting Crowns; Rescue Has Come – Lincoln Brewster; Give Me Jesus – Danny Gokey

Dare to persevere in prayer