The Power of Persistent Prayer

Billy Taylor

Billy Taylor

Minister, Writer and Christian Leader

Published Feb 8, 2018
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You can listen to this article by clicking here.

Have you ever given up too soon? Maybe you were trying to learn to play the piano or guitar. You
worked on it for a few months but gave up. Maybe you tried to learn a new skill, lose weight, or get in
shape, but for whatever reason, you gave up before you saw the results.

Persistence is about staying on a course of action in spite of difficulties or opposition.

The Law of Persistence

Persistence is an important part of success. Stories abound of men and women who were persistent in
their goals; they refused to give up. They followed their dream when all their friends and family said
quit. They found success because they were persistent.

There are also many others who failed because of their lack of persistence.

In 1952, Florence Chadwick attempted to be the first woman to swim the 21 miles from Catalina
Island to the California shore. After 15 hours of swimming in the bone-chilling water, she gave up. She
felt she couldn’t go on. The dense fog made it impossible to track her progress, and the cold water
took its toll. When she climbed into the boat, and they headed for shore, they discovered she was
only a half mile from her goal. She gave up too soon. She had almost reached the goal but stopped
short. Two months later she tried again, and this time was successful.

Life rewards those who are persistent, who never give up, and who continue until they complete the
course.

Sometimes my pray life lacks persistence. I bring my request to God with great fervor today, but by
tomorrow, I have forgotten my prayer and have moved on to other things. Have you ever prayed for
something, but when the answer didn’t come immediately you forgot about it or just quit praying?

What is Persistent Prayer?

Persistent prayer is that doesn’t give up. It’s praying for something until God either our prayer, or He
tells us to stop praying. Persistent prayer is standing in faith that God will answer your prayer. It never
stops until it receives God’s answer.

God honors persistent prayer. Here are three important truths about the power of persistent prayer.
Persistent Prayer Honors God

Persistent prayer is a confession that I will seek what I need only from the hand of God. When I bring
my need to Him, I am saying that He is the source of all I need. The persistent prayer says, “I will look
to God for this need. I will continue to look for His supply, and I will continue to pray until God
answers me. I don’t pray until something happens, I pray until God answers. Persistent prayer honors
God by confessing that He is my supply and He will answer my prayer on His timetable. Persistent
prayer is a statement of faith that my loving God will answer my prayer.

Persistent Prayer Reveals My Commitment

Often we bring fleeting prayers to the Lord. We pray today but forget to pray tomorrow. We bring our
request to God today, but never bring it up again. Persistent prayer is committed to continually asking
God until He answers. I will not give up; I will not quit, I will not try other things. I will bring my prayer
to God every day until He tells me to stop.

The Gospel of Luke gives us insight into what Jesus thinks about persistent prayer.

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. –
Luke 18:1

He then tells the story of a woman who comes before a judge asking for justice against her enemy. is
an unrighteous man who doesn’t care about God or people. But since she continues to bring her
request to him, he gives her what she asks.

Jesus explains the parable in verse 6

And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his
chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that
they get justice, and quickly.” - Luke 18:6-8

If an unjust judge will give a poor woman what she asks because she comes to him every day with her
request, how much more will your loving Heavenly Father answer your prayer?

Persistent prayer takes you to the place where God can do a great work for you and shows your
commitment to Him.

Persistent Prayer Breaks the Resistance

When you pray, you turn loose the power of heaven in your life. Prayer also releases the storms of hell
against your prayer. The kingdom of darkness will do everything it can to delay and resist your prayer.

Daniel was a powerful character in the Old Testament. He was a mighty man of prayer whom God
used again and again. God gave Daniel prophetic insight into the world around him. In Daniel 10,
Daniel receives a revelation that he doesn’t understand and begins seeking the Lord for
understanding. He continues to prayer, but no answer comes. Finally, an angel appears to him. He
says God answered your prayer on the day you prayed, but a spiritual battle has been raging in the
for 21 days between the kingdom of darkness and the Lord’s holy angels. (v13)

If Satan can’t keep you from praying, he will do everything in his power to keep you from receiving
your answer. Sometimes our prayers open a great battle in the heavenliest. We need to continue in
prayer until we receive our answer. Satan was defeated on the cross, but He still tries to resist the
work of God on every hand.

Persistence breaks the resistance

I believe as we are persistent in our prayer, we enter into the spiritual battle and strengthen the work
of God. Don’t give up on your prayer; an angel may be just around the corner with the answer.

One of the greatest men of prayer was George Mueller. He cared for over 10,000 orphans by asking
God to provide for their needs. He raised hundreds of thousands of dollars just by asking God to
provide. He was a great man of faith that God used in incredible ways. Here is what he said about
persistent prayer.

“The great fault of the children of God is, they do not continue in prayer; they do not go on praying; they
do not persevere!” – George Mueller

When we bring our request to God day by day and continue to bring the request to Him, we honor
God, we show our commitment, and we break through the resistance of Satan.

What prayer have you given up on? What have you prayed for and when you didn’t get an answer,
you stopped praying? Is God calling you to go back and be persistent in your prayer?

I want to challenge you to be persistent in your prayer.

Imagine what might happen if for the next 31 days you brought your prayer daily before God and in
faith claimed His answer.

Persistent Prayer says “I will continue to pray until either God answers my prayer, or tells me to stop
praying.”

Sermon: The Prayer Life of a Christian - Colossians 4

Prayer is, for the most part, an untapped resource, an unexplored continent where untold treasure remains to be
unearthed.

 Calvin Wittman

January 27, 2014

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Scriptures: Colossians 4
Introduction

F.B. Meyer, the author of the great little book, The Secret of Guidance said, "The
great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but un-offered prayer."

Instead of it being something we do everyday, like breathing, eating and walking

and talking, it seems to have become like that little glass covered box on the wall
that says, "break in case of emergency." It is true that so very often we associate
prayer with crises in our life.

I heard a story the other day of a man who encountered a bit of trouble while
flying his little airplane. He called the control tower and said, "Pilot to tower, I'm
300 miles from the airport, six hundred feet above the ground, and I'm out of fuel.
I am descending rapidly. Please advise. Over." "Tower to pilot," the dispatcher
began, "Repeat after me: "Our Father Who art in heaven...'"

Prayer is, for the most part, an untapped resource, an unexplored continent
where untold treasure remains to be unearthed. It is talked about more than
anything else , and practiced less than anything else. And yet, for the believer it
remains one of the greatest gift our Lord has given us outside of salvation.

In 1952, Albert Einstein was delivering a lecture on the campus of Princeton

University. A doctoral student asked the famous scientist "What is there left in
the world for original dissertation research?" With considerate thought and
profundity Einstein replied, "Find out about prayer. Somebody must find out about
prayer."

Paul was somebody who understood prayer and its power. Prayer was a part of
Paul's life, and he took it for granted that it would be a part of the life of every
Christian. You cannot really be a good Christian and not pray, just like you cannot
have a good marriage if you don't talk to your wife. You can be a Christian and not
pray, just like you can be married and not talk to your wife. But in both
circumstances you will be miserable. Prayer is the pipeline of communication
between God and His people, between God and those who love Him.

I. Pray with persistence

Paul begins by saying, "Devote yourselves to prayer," (NASB) or "Continue

earnestly in prayer," (NKJV). In the original language it says, "continue
steadfastly in prayer." The word translated, "continue steadfastly," is one word in
the original language. It can be translated, "persist in, adhere firmly to, or remain
devoted to or to give unremitting care to." It caries with it the idea of dedication.
Of the ten times it is used in the New Testament four of them have to do with
being devoted to prayer. It is a very powerful word and in this verse is given as an
imperative, or a command. In other words, persistence in prayer is not an option
for the Christian it is an order from the Lord Himself.
Two of the most instructive parables Jesus ever told on prayer, one in Luke 18
and the other in Luke 11, both have to do with being persistent and not giving up
in prayer.

 Luke 18:1 says, "Now He was telling them a parable to show them that at all
times they ought to pray and not to lose heart."
 Luke 11:9 is where we find the promise that says, "ask and it shall be given
to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you." Each of
those verbs are in the present tense, active voice and could be translated,
"keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking." Jesus does not want
us to give up in prayer, He instructs us to be persistent.

Now there is a difference between a persistent prayer and a long prayer. A person
who is persistent in prayer does not necessarily have to pray for a long time.
Persistence means not giving up.

Some people give up easy, they quit because they say they don't feel like praying,
the joy is gone, the feeling is gone. But we are not to live by our feelings but to
live by the commandments of our Lord who tells us to pray without ceasing.

George Muller, known as one of the greatest prayer warriors of all times had this
to say about persistence in prayer"

"It is a common temptation of Satan to make us give up the reading of the Word
and prayer when our enjoyment is gone; as if it were of no use to read the
scriptures when we do not enjoy them, and as if it were no use to pray when we
have no spirit of prayer. The truth is that, in order to enjoy the Word, we ought to
continue to read it, and the way to obtain a spirit of prayer is to continue praying.
The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we
pray, the less we desire to pray."

Be persistent in prayer.

II. Pray with passion

If you are persistent in something, it stands to reason that you are to be

passionate about it. In fact, Paul says we should be vigilant or be watchful; it is
the opposite of slothfulness. This describes passionate prayer.

Jesus was passionate about His prayer life, it was something He was always
doing.

S.D. Gordon in his book, Quiet Talks on Prayer, says

How much prayer meant to Jesus! It was not only his regular habit, but his resort
in every emergency, however slight or serious. When perplexed he prayed. When
hard pressed by work he prayed. When hungry for fellowship he found it in prayer.
He chose his associates and received his messages upon his knees. If tempted,
he prayed. If criticized, he prayed. If fatigued in body or wearied in spirit, he had
recourse to his one unfailing habit of prayer. Prayer brought him unmeasured
power at the beginning, and kept the flow unbroken and undiminished. There was
no emergency, no difficulty, no necessity, no temptation that would not yield to
prayer.

And every time we see Jesus praying He was praying with passion.

 In Luke 3:1 at His Baptism - while He was praying the heaven was opened.
Passionate prayer opens Heaven.
 In Luke 6:12 before He called His disciples - He spent the whole night in
prayer. Passionate prayer gives direction.
 In Luke 9:29 at His transfiguration - And while He was praying, the
appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white
and gleaming. Passionate prayer enables us to experience the glory of the
Father.
 In John 17 in His high priestly prayer - Passionate prayer impacts the lives
of others.
 In Matthew 26:39 in the Garden of Gethsemane - It is only through
passionate prayer that we can pour out our hearts to God.
 In Luke 23:24 as He hung on the cross - a life that is lived in passionate
prayer will enable us to maintain that spirit, even in the most difficult of
circumstances.

Jesus always prayed with passion, because He knew Who it was He was talking
to and He knew that prayer to the Father is a powerful thing and not something to
take lightly and glibly.

Prayer from the heart, that's what passionate prayer is, it is prayer from the heart
not just from the head.

That is how He taught us to pray, not only through His example, but specifically
through His teaching Look in Matthew 6:7, in the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus
instructs on prayer. It is here that we find the Lord's prayer. But just before the
Lord's prayer what does He say?

"When you pray, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do."

(Jews around the world may now send prayers via fax to the Wailing Wall)

What has happened to the Lord's Prayer? People repeat it as if it were some kind
of magic mantra that will bless them or move God to hear them. They are doing
with it is exactly what He was instructing us not to do with it. The gentiles, when
they prayed tried, through their religious repetitions, with their chants and their
mantras to call forth or impress their Gods. That is not what you do when you are
in a relationship.

You don't tell your wife. "I love you, oh I really love you and I just wanted to tell
you today that I love you, I'm so glad that I just have this time to just say I love
you. Please feed the children, please clean the house and may all go well with
you." Amen

James 5:16 says, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man can
accomplish much."

III. Pray with thankfulness

Paul never fails to mention it.

 Ephesians 5:20 tells us that thanksgiving is the natural result of being filled
with and walking under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
 Philippians 4:6 tells us to be anxious for nothing but in everything we should
pray, giving thanks as we make our petitions known to God.
 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us that giving thanks at all times is God's will for
us in Christ Jesus.
 Colossians 3:17 says that as believers everything we say or do should be
done in the name of the Lord Jesus as we give thanks to Him.
 1 Timothy 4:4 - says that food and marriage are good things given to us by
God and are to be received with thanksgiving and gratitude.

Expressing gratitude does several things:

 It articulates dependence
 It demonstrates relationship
 It communicates gratitude - proper attitudes
 It generates humility

IV. Pray, making intercession

Intercessory prayer is basically praying for others, it is praying for God's will to be
done in the lives of other people.

Intercessory prayers characterized the prayer life of Jesus.

 In Isaiah 53:12 the Bible says, He Himself bore the sins of many and,
interceded for the transgressors."
 Luke 22:23 Jesus tells Peter, "I have prayed for you, that your faith may not
fail;"
 Luke 23:34 on the cross, Jesus was praying for others when He said,
"Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."
  John 14:15 Jesus interceded for us, asking the Father to send the Holy
Spirit
 John 17:19 He prayed for us, the church, in His High Priestly prayer. Listen
to the intercessory nature of this prayer, "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask
on behalf of the world, but of those whom Thou has given Me . . . "
 Romans 8:34 tells us that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father,
making intercession for us.
 And Hebrews 7:25 says, "Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who
draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession
for them."

Jesus prayed intercessory prayers, He was ever praying for others.

Understanding the power of Prayer, Paul wanted to be sure the Colossian

Christians understood what it was they were to pray for. He wanted them to pray
with a specific purpose. He wanted them to pray for him, asking God to open a
door so that they could speak the gospel. It was the gospel that Paul lived for, it
was the preaching of the gospel that had landed Paul in prison, it was the
preaching of the gospel that was ever on the forefront of Paul's mind. You see,
Paul wanted God's kingdom to expand. Like Jesus, he was concerned about
others, about their souls, their salvation and their sanctification.

It is instructive to note that Paul is not asking them to pray for his legal situation
or that he would be released from prison. He is asking them to pray that he will
have the opportunity to lead someone to Christ.

Paul wanted their prayers to be in accordance with God's will not simply after the
greedy desires of someone living for this world.

Paul was always concerned with doing the will of God. How many of our prayers
are directed at the expansion of His eternal kingdom rather than the expansion of
our petty kingdoms? If you were able to chronicle your prayers, knowing how
much time you spent praying for different things, how much of your time would be
spent praying for your family, for their health, for the health and well being of your
loved ones, compared to how much time you were praying for the lost who are
headed to hell?

Intercessory prayer changes things.

Howard Hendricks, who for years taught at the Dallas Theological Seminary and
pastored in the area shared this story. He said:

Years ago in a church in Dallas we were having trouble finding a teacher for a
junior high boys class. The list of prospects had only one name -- and when they
told me who it was I said, "You've got to be kidding." But I couldn't have been
more wrong about that young man. He took the class and revolutionized it.
I was so impressed I invited him to my home for lunch and asked him the secret
of his success. He pulled out a little black book. On each page he had a small
picture of one of the boys, and under the boy's name were comments like "having
trouble in arithmetic," or "comes to church against parents' wishes," or "would
like to be a missionary some day, but doesn't think he has what it takes."

"I pray over those pages every day," he said, "and I can hardly wait to come to
church each Sunday to see what God has been doing in their lives."

You see, when you pray for others, when you pray for God's work to be done, for
His will to be accomplished, He will begin to use you and grow you in ways that
will astonish those around you. Sometimes I think we do not become what God
wants us to become, because we are too focused on ourselves and not on others.
It is when we pray for others that we will become more like Jesus, and as we
become more like Jesus God will grow us more, show us more, and use us more.

We must pray for others.

Five things that happen when we pray:

_1. Prayer internalizes the burde_n

It deepens our ownership of the burden and our partnership with God. As we pray
we begin to become aware of how God might us to answer the prayer, how He
might involve us in ways we had not theretofore foreseen.

2. Prayer forces us to wait

Part of prayer is always waiting for God. God has three answers to prayers: Yes,
no and wait. Yes and no are no-brainers. But wait, that is tough. John MacArthur
says: "There is a tension between boldness and waiting on God's will. That
tension is resolved by being persistent, yet accepting God's answer when it
finally comes." Instead of getting frustrated that God is not on our schedule,
prayer forces us to be on God's timetable.

3. Prayer opens our spiritual eyes

It enables us to get in touch with what God is doing and how He is doing it.

In II Kings 6 you may recall the story of when the Army of Israel was surrounded
by their enemies and Elijah's servant got nervous. Verses 15-17 say

Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold,
an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to
him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" 16So he answered, "Do not fear, for
those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17Then Elisha
prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD
opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of
horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Prayer opens our eyes, enabling us to see what God is doing, to see things we are
blinded to without prayer. That's because prayer is communication. We speak to
God, God answers us, speaking to us, showing us.

4. It aligns our heart with God's heart

Adjustment, alignment, setting our thoughts, emotions, actions.

5. Prayer enables us to move forward

Prayer engages God, enables God's people, and enlarges His kingdom. Jesus said,
"without Me, you can do nothing." Once we have prayed we are ready to do
anything, until we have prayed we can do nothing, but once we have prayed we
can accomplish anything.

What does your prayer life look like this morning? Are you persistent in prayer?
Are your prayers passionate or are they perfunctory? Are they filled with intensity
and fervor or are they weak, timid and lacking faith? What about gratitude? How
much time have you spent thanking God for all He has done for you? And who are
you praying for? Is there anyone in your life that you are praying will get saved? Is
there a burden on your heart to see God's kingdom expand, to see His will done?

Are you satisfied with your prayer life? One survey of 860 church pastors said the
following: just 16 percent are very satisfied with their personal prayer lives. Forty-
seven percent are somewhat satisfied, 30 percent somewhat dissatisfied and 7
percent very dissatisfied.

If you are very satisfied with your prayer life, praise the Lord.

I suspect that many of us are not. I personally am not satisfied with my prayer
life. It falls short in many areas. I am often distracted while I am praying. I do not
always keep my planned schedule for praying. I know I don’t pray enough for
other people. If you are like me and you are not satisfied with your prayer life,
then this message is primarily for us.

The passage today is not a complicated one. It is simple to understand. You

probably will not learn much new doctrine. In the first part of Colossians, Paul
teaches some fundamental doctrines. In the second half, he encourages
believers in faithful Christian living.
Today’s passage is all application. The basics of the Christian life come down to
several key disciplines.

Colossians 4:2-4 – Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with

thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door
for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison
— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
Steadfast means – Resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering.

Synonyms include: committed, devoted, dedicated, reliable.

The Greek word means to “attend constantly.” It means to persist in, to persevere
in.

In other passages, Paul says to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

What does this mean in our lives? Paul encourages believers to have a lifestyle
of prayer. A lifestyle of prayer is composed of two parts. One part is quality time
alone with God dedicated to prayer. We see Jesus doing this regularly.

Luke 5:16 – But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness to pray.
The other part is spontaneous prayer. That is regular prayer interspersed
throughout the day as we face different temptations, decisions, or challenges.
These are the prayer one-liners like, “God, give me wisdom.” “Keep me safe.” Or
one of my simple all-time favorites, “Jesus, help me.”

Both types of communication are important in a relationship. You need those

times of opening up and communicating on a deep and personal level. Those
times build deep roots in the relationship. But you also need regular
communication and interaction about everyday things. That is the companion
aspect.

When you have that intimate time with God on a regular basis the spontaneous
prayers are more powerful because they match your lifestyle. Nehemiah is one of
the great examples of this. He heard that Jerusalem, his home city, was in
shambles and he spent about eight months in prayer for this. The king finally
asked him why he was sad and right there Nehemiah made a spontaneous
prayer to God for wisdom in answering. That spontaneous prayer was especially
powerful because of the eight months of dedicated prayer which preceded it.
Paul encourages believers to be “steadfast” in prayer because he knew it is not
easy. There are many distractions the world throws at us to keep us from
praying.

Quite often when I ask friends “how are you?” they will answer, “Busy!” There are
so many distractions in life, forces which pull our attention in many different
directions. It is even harder to focus on prayer than it was in the past. In addition
to family, chores, and career, media is a constant presence. Smart phones are
often the last thing people look at before they sleep (not their spouse), and the
first thing people look at when they wake up.

How much do people in your country spend on screen time on average each
day?

India. 7.18 hours. France. 5.3 hours. Mexico 8.55 hours. Brazil, Philippines, and
South Africa are all over 10 hours. Depending on which country you are in, about
half of that is on mobile phone.

What does that mean? It means that there are a lot of distractions!

This is the age of instant gratification. China is amazing. We can order almost
anything we want at the touch of a button and have it delivered to our door in a
day or two. Want Avacodos from Mexico? No problem. Want Swiss cheese? No
problem.

We have short attention spans. And they are getting shorter. A Google study tells
us that 53% of users abandon a page if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.
Think about that. It used to take 30 minutes to go the library. And now 4 seconds
is too long.

It is no wonder, that in a world like this it is increasingly difficult to find the time
and focus to calm down, put aside distractions, and spend time meditating on
God’s character and talking to Him. Prayer has always been difficult. It is not
easy to maintain a lifestyle of prayer. Distractions and temptations bombard us
from every side. It can be hard to concentrate.

One important part of the battle is knowing that it is a battle. You are in a battle
not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces in the heavenly
places. Satan and his demons want to keep you from prayer. One of their favorite
methods is distraction.
C.S. Lewis wrote a very interesting book called Screwtape Letters. In this book,
an “uncle” demon is mentoring his nephew. He is teaching him the best ways to
tempt people. One section is about how he tempted his “patient.” The man was in
the London Museum and he started to think about the question, “Is this all that
man has accomplished in thousands of years?” The demon was worried that this
line of thinking would cause the man to go deeper in thought about the meaning
of life and where we came from. So he tempted him, not with any great
philosophical thought. Just with a bacon sandwich. A picture of a bacon
sandwich entered into the man’s mind. And he thought about lunch. Lunch would
be tasty. There was a nice restaurant not far away. He could go and have lunch
and think about these things later. Always later. That is the goal.

The enemy wants us to pray later. Have lunch first. Have a rest. Communicating
later is not a good way to keep a close relationship with anyone.

That is why Paul says to be “watchful in it.” We need to be alert. The enemy
wants to distract you. We need to be mindful of the landmines.

I think we have all at times been distracted from praying. Perhaps you close your
eyes to pray. You begin going through your prayer list. Soon, you realize you
aren’t praying at all. But you are thinking of something else, perhaps something
you need to do later in the day, a problem at work, or something else you are
stressed about.

We need to be watchful. Don’t let your mind wander. Instead, control it. Train it.
Part of this is habit. Once a bad habit forms it is hard to break it. I am not a
scientist, but I have heard about neural pathways. When they are exercised, they
become stronger. The brain makes synaptic connections based on how you
think. So if you start thinking about a stress at work each time when you start
praying, you are training your mind to go there and it becomes a habit.

We need to be watchful of our own thought patterns and habits when we pray. It
is not hopeless to control our minds. We are told to do just that in Philippians 4:8.

Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,

whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these
things.
You get to choose what you think about. Don’t let your mind control you. You
control it.
When you evaluate your prayer life, don’t become too discouraged. You don’t
need to compare yourself to others who pray more than you. We all fall short. We
are all in different stages of the same journey. Some have learned through
discipline to pray for hours. Others are just learning what prayer is. Wherever you
on this journey, ask God to help you take the next step in your prayer life.

He is always available. He is always a friend. He wants to have a relationship

with you. He wants you to share the deepest thoughts of your heart with Him. He
wants you to learn to depend on Him, to go to Him for wisdom, for help, for
comfort, for forgiveness, for guidance.

He is gentle and kind. He is not seeking to condemn you for a lack of prayer, but
to graciously encourage you to come ever closer to Him.