Magnify the Ministry of Prayer
Luke 18:1-8
“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Have you ever heard the phrase “praying through?” It means praying for something until you reach a victory, feel satisfied you have been heard or have peace about the matter. One pastor describes it as “interceding until God intervenes.” If there was ever a time to pray, it is now. And if there was ever a time to keep praying until God intervenes, it is now.
Rather than an “it is what it is” mentality, let’s resolve ourselves to make it “all that it can be!” What we can do is magnify the ministry of prayer. E.M. Bounds said, “Our praying needs to be pressed and pursued with an energy that never tires, a persistency which will not be denied, and a courage that never fails.”
The parable of the persistent widow is convicting to me. It convicts me for many reasons. First, it convicts me of my own prayerlessness. I write this as a confession. Too often I give up on prayer, or make prayer my last resort rather than my first response, or I simply do not take the time to pray.
Second, I am convicted about my lack of faith. Luke 18:8 ties the subject of prayer to faith. Notice that last phrase, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” My faith life and my prayer life are directly tied together. They are inseparable. And without faith, “praying through” is impossible.
Do you have a concern, need or burden for which you are waiting to hear from God? Have you prayed, waited, prayed more, but feel like giving up? You can begin the journey of “praying through” by engaging with these simple suggestions. Each one of these can help you be consistent, which will strengthen your faith-muscle and engage your tenacity-muscle.
Diminish distractions. Schedule a time on your calendar for daily prayer. Silence your devices and move them to another room. A scheduled time in a quiet place will help you focus your thoughts toward communicating with God, as well as prepare your heart to hear from God through His Word.
Keep a prayer journal. This may be new to you, but I encourage you to begin writing out your prayers. I have found that writing out my prayers helps my mind stay focused and gives me an awareness of casting my cares before the Lord. It is also a great place to record answered prayer, which always encourages my faith.
Pray with someone else regularly. Find a person or a group that you can pray with on a consistent basis. My wife and I read a devotional and pray together each morning. I cannot tell you what a difference it has made in our lives, and how much I look forward to it each day. Not only am I encouraged through this time, I’m accountable to be consistent and it helps me to broaden my prayers to be others-focused.
Just like you plan for retirement, plan your schedule, and plan your vacations, a consistent and faith-filled prayer-life doesn’t just happen; it requires a plan. Let’s begin with these simple steps, and magnify the ministry of prayer in our lives and in our churches.