Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. (Luke 18:1)
It is almost time for this year's Boston Marathon.
Many people from all over the world are getting prepared to run the 26-mile distance. I met someone recently who has been training all year to run the race. He gets up each morning at 5 a.m. to run several miles in preparation for the marathon. His goal is to make it to the finish line. Sometimes people enter the race but give up because they underestimate how long it takes and do not have the stamina to make it to the end.
Getting to the finish line is a great way to think about praying, too. During this season of Lent, I have been challenged to pray for one particular need every day for 21 days. It is not that I don’t pray daily, but the idea of praying for the same thing day after day took a lot of discipline, because I wanted to go off in other directions. There were days when other things seemed more important than what I was praying for, but I had made a commitment and I had a goal to reach. I believed that God would meet me on the 21st day with amazing clarity about the things I had committed to him during that time. I am thankful to say that I made it to the 21st day and I was not disappointed.
It is easy to lose heart and give up on our goals, especially when we pray and don’t see answers right away. Prayer is not just for receiving answers to our request in the time frame we want to see them; it is about staying in an intimate relationship with God. No matter what we face in life, it is easier to handle knowing that we have a friendship with Jesus.
Prayer point: One way to prepare for a prayer marathon is to decide you will pray long and pray through. Decide that you will not stop praying until you see something change in your life. The change may be you. God rewards the faithful.
God bless you!
