Pray Instead of Crying — Boldness and Persistence in Prayer

Life’s battles must be fought through persistent prayer. Faith is of no use if it does not express itself in determined and persistent petitions. The great reformer Martin Luther prayed: “Dear Lord, although I am sure of my position, I cannot hold it without you. Help me or I am lost.” Effective prayer requires that kind of conviction and regularity

. C. H. Spurgeon, the great nineteenth-century English preacher, wrote: “Prayer pulls the rope down here in the world, and the great bell rings above in God’s ear. Some barely move the bell, so feeble are their prayers; others give the rope only an occasional tug. But the man who communicates with heaven is the one who grasps the rope boldly and pulls it continually with all his strength.”

The Apostle Paul counsels, “Be anxious for nothing, but let your requests be made known in every prayer and supplication” (Phil 4:6). In other words, instead of crying, pray; instead of letting your knees shake, bend them. If they’re bent, they won’t be able to shake! (This reminds me of the joke about the young minister who was invited to preach at the seminary from which he had graduated. When the time came for him to stand up and preach, he rose and said, “What I have to say must be pretty good, because my knees are already applauding!”)

At times, God will glorify himself by not answering our prayers immediately. He will take us through silence and waiting so that we may purify our petitions and better understand why we are asking for what we ask. Perhaps he will want us to wait until we are ready to process and hold on to what we are asking him for.

We will give God the greatest proof of faith and obedience when we persist in our prayers despite long periods of waiting, when it seemed that he had already disregarded our need. By continuing to pray, we will have demonstrated our conviction that he is faithful and always fulfills what he promises. When the answer comes after that long wait, it will come with interest, accompanied by divine pleasure in a submissive and obedient child who chose to believe and persist rather than give up because the wait was so long.