DAY 16 Encouragement

In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He answered me.

Psalm 120:1

It's important to know this Truth.  Read it again.  Now, read it aloud.  Did you hear what you said?  Say it again.  You must get this.  It's very, very important to your having a right relationship with the Lord.  If you don't believe this scripture, then you are not thinking rightly about God.  If you don't believe this scripture, then your prayer life will be non-existent because you won't think it will do any good.

Sure, He rarely answers the way you think He should, and He often doesn't answer when you think He should, but He WILL answer you.  It's very important that you understand this.  Sometimes, the answer requires you to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking.

Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up).    Luke 18:1

I find myself often in the "turn coward, faint, lose heart, and give up" stage of my prayer life.  I think, if it happens right away, awesome! And if it doesn't happen right away, well, I guess it won't happen.  Man, what a wimp I am!  Seriously, I need to do some strength training in my prayer life.

I want to encourage each one of you to be diligent in your prayer life.  Become lovers of God who love to pray.  Amazing things happen when God's people pray!  It's extremely important, I believe, to find a prayer partner, or a prayer group, so that you have others to agree with in prayer.  There's much power in agreement.

Be diligent.  Keep on asking!  Keep on seeking! Keep on knocking!  He is faithful to His Word and to His character.  He will not let you down!

And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him; [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.  And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.    1 John 5:14-15

Scriptures for reference and study: Matthew 7:7; Luke 18:1-8; Hebrews 11:6; Luke 21:36; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Timothy 2:8; James 5:16; Acts 1:14, 2:1-4