Colossians 4:2 tells us that we need to devote ourselves to prayer. Prayer should be a part of every day of our lives. In the Living Bible translation, we are told that we should not weary ourselves in our prayers, but rather keep at it. We need to be constant and persistent as we pray. Jesus used the parable of the persistent widow to show us that we must keep on praying and praying until we get an answer (Luke 18:1-8). So, Scripture makes it very clear that we need to pray day and night. But why?
I believe the answer to that question can be found in Luke 18:8. When Jesus finished the parable, He asked if the Son of Man would find faith on earth when He returns. When we pray and don’t give up praying until we receive an answer, we are exercising our faith. When we persist in our prayers and do not lose heart no matter how long it takes for those prayers to be answered, we are exercising our faith. We are showing that our faith in God is so strong that we have confidence that, in His time, our prayers will be answered. I believe that consistent prayer equals faith.
When it comes to answers to our prayers, Colossians 4:2 gives us some important instructions. We are told that we need to be watchful. Being watchful means that we are keeping our eyes and our hearts open to see that answers to our prayers. This verse also says that we need to be thankful when those answers to our prayers come. We are to be thankful when we receive the answer that we were seeking, but we also need to be thankful when the answer is not what we had hoped for or expected. We need to have a heart of gratitude for God’s faithfulness in answering our prayers, even if we don’t really like the answer. God knows what is best for us and we should be thankful that He loves us so much that he answers our prayers with our best interests in mind.
Keep on praying. Pray continually and do not get weary or lose heart, especially when the answer is not what we wanted it to be or if it is delayed. Be persistent. God will answer at the right time. And, when you receive the answer to your prayers, be sure to offer God the thanks and praise that He deserves.
A Worshiper's Journal 