Keep Praying!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Keep Praying!


"Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to
search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door
will open for you. Yes, if a person continues asking, that
person will receive. If a person continues looking, that
person will find. And if a person continues knocking, the
door will open for that person."

-- Matthew 7:7-8 (ERV)


KEY THOUGHT:
Ask, look, knock. These actions sound so harmless and so easy. But
behind these words is the intent of Jesus: "Be persistent! Keep asking!
Continue looking! Don't quit knocking!" This is not a cookbook
prescription, but the target attitude we should have in our prayers and
our lives. We must be persistent and faithful. But before making that
persistence our key to acquiring and achieving for ourselves, let's
remember Jesus' example in the model prayer in Matthew 6:9-13: the
focus is on God's will -- his Kingdom and his glory, on our most basic
needs -- daily bread, and on overcoming sin through forgiveness and
deliverance. Jesus is reminding us that if we stay after these, not
only will we get what we ask for, but we will also be changed in the
process!


TODAY'S PRAYER:
Holy and righteous Father, thank you so much for the many prayers you
have answered. Thank you, dear Father, for answering my prayers to be
more like Jesus. I confess I am still so very far from his perfection,
but when I look at the distance you have brought me in the past, I can
view the future only with excitement knowing that you will lead me on
to become more like him in the future. In Jesus' name, I thank you and
ask for your continued grace. Amen.