What things so ever you desire when you pray believe that you receive them and you shall have them.
DAILY READING Matthew 5:1-20; Exodus 28:1-29:46; Proverbs 13
There have been many great men of prayer through the ages who stood resolute in the place of prayer and moved nations. John Knox is one of them. He was a Scottish clergyman and leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the Church in Scotland through fervent prayers. Imprisoned during the late 1540s for supporting the Protestant Reformation in Scotland, Knox prayed daily, “Lord, give me Scotland, or I die!” John Knox wanted the nation of Scotland to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. At this time, the Church in Scotland was in a sorry state. The nation was steeped in doctrinal and ecclesiastical compromise. But Knox’s was unwaveringly commitment to the pure preaching of the gospel, which was a bright and shining light amidst the darkness. During the sixteenth-century, Scottish Reformation, Knox’s ministry of preaching and prayer were so well known that the Roman Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots saw it as a threat to the throne of Scotland , she is reputed to have said, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.” By the time he died in 1572, his prayers had been answered; Scotland had been transformed and the Scottish Parliament had adopted the Reformation doctrines.
God answers prayers. Mark 11:24 tells us ‘What things so ever you desire when you pray believe that you receive them and you shall have them.’ This is the promise of God. Whatsoever you desire is an open cheque. It means it doesn’t matter how impossible it may presently look; as long as you can commit to pray about it, God is committed to answer.
Prayer indeed works. If only you will dig in your heels and refuse to quit and continue to call upon God, for sure, your desire will surely come. If you don’t give up praying, God will eventually answer. That means to get answers in prayers requires resoluteness and certain ‘stubbornness.’ You have to decide that you will not quit until you get your result. One thing you can be sure of is that God will not refuse you your desire.
Many people give up too soon before their answers comes. After a few prayers and nothing seems to be happening, they just decide it’s not going to work and they give up and conclude that God did not answer their prayers. You have to understand that everything is possible to him that believes. Perhaps you are believing God for the salvation of your loved ones, or for a breakthrough in a certain area, make up your mind to push in prayer until something happens. Prayer does change things, prayer does level mountains. The key is persistence. Refuse to give up. The enemy knows that if you persist you will receive, this is why he tries to discourage and weary you to give up before your answer comes. But tell yourself, it doesn’t matter how long it takes, I will keep praying because I know God has promised me an answer and He keeps His promises. You will reap if you faint not.
You have been believing God for a certain miracle, why not begin to commit that situation to God in constant prayer, and watch as He begins to move to bring to pass your request? John Knox did not just pray one day for Scotland and stopped, He prayed until his answer came, and so can you.
PRAYER: Lord, please give me the grace to persevere in the place of prayer until my answer comes, help me not to grow weary but to persist until I see my desired result. .
Quote
Until you cry out in the place of prayer certain things won’t happen
– WORDBITE 222.
[ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK FAITH CLASSICS]