The Power of Persistent Prayer
Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor
Minister, Writer and Christian Leader
Published Feb 8, 2018
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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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.
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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. Fortyseven 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.