Pray Persistently

James 4:2 NIV.
You desire but do not have, so you kill.
You covet but you cannot get what
you want, so you quarrel and fight.
You do not have because
you do not ask God. 

About twenty years ago, this next sentence changed my life: "You do not have because you do not ask God." This short verse opened a door for me to discover the life-changing power of persistent prayer.

At that time in my life, I was stressed out about a lot of different things. I was trying to make my ministry grow, trying to make my husband do this or that, trying to make my kids act a certain way, trying to make other people do the things I wanted, trying to basically do absolutely everything on my own. As you can probably guess, it wasn't working!

As a burned-out, frustrated young Christian, I realized one day that living in my own strength was useless. I needed to take my problems to God. In other words, I needed to pray more!

When we understand God's love for us and His plan for us, then we can begin to realize the doors that He wants to open for us. But we'll only realize these things when we're constantly talking with Him, listening to His voice, and growing deeper in our relationship with Him.

In Matthew 7:7, Jesus tells us,
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be
opened to you. "

So many times, when we reach the end of our rope, we turn to prayer, but when our prayers are not instantly answered, we give up. Today, I want to encourage you to not only pray, but to pray persistently. Don't stress out trying to make things happen on your own. Give it all to God as you pray.

Remember, He promises that when we seek Him, we will find Him. Let's pray and seek Him with all our hearts.

Prayer Starter: God, remind me to bring my problems to You. I'm tired of living in my own strength. I need Your guidance and Your direction. As I seek You daily, I will put my trust in You.  God Bless.