KEEP IT UP! October 30

O LORD God of Heaven's Armies, how long will you be angry with our prayers? Psalm 80:4 (NLT)

Let's be honest, let's lay it all on the line for the next few minutes. There are moments in life when we want to cry out along with the psalmist, "O Lord, how long?" How long before you answer my prayer? How long must I wait for my heart-cry to be heard? How long until my request finally finds its way to your heart?

Experience teaches us that God doesn't instantly respond to our petitions, even when they conform to His will. An unsaved spouse, a wayward teenager, a debilitating disease-we ask God to intervene in a slew of situations. But days turn into weeks, weeks into months, months into years and still no answer. What are we to do?

It's in our fallen nature to instinctively question God, prayer, and even our faith as a whole. "If God were really in this it wouldn't be taking so long!" Isn't it ironic how we want to confine the Eternal One to our timetables? Isn't it strange that we create a criterion for the Creator? Maybe the fact that our prayers haven't been answered has more to do with what needs to take place in us than with what God needs to do.

God is determined to produce perseverance in us. He wants us to be people who push past adversity, who break shackles, and who snap that tape at the finish line. At the end of the day, God will measure spiritual success in us by our perseverance to stick with what He's called us to do.

So what should we do when our prayers go months and years without being answered? The answer is obvious:

"Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62 NLT)


Dig into the parable in Luke 18:1-8. According to verse 1, what's the point of the parable? What was the determining factor in the decision rendered? How does this inspire you to pray more? What's keeping you from doing that?

Decide to refresh the spirits of those in your group who are weary with their prayers. Determine how you can put Galatians 6:9-10 into action. Support each other by bearing each other's burdens (Galatians 6:2).