Dave Butts- One of my favorite verses on prayer is a real challenge to me to persist in my praying. Habakkuk 2:1 calls us to a commitment to pray until something happens.
"I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what He will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint." (Google image, Power of persistent prayer)
The Prophet Habakkuk's situation was clearly wrapped up in prayer. In the first chapter, he was bringing to the Lord the crisis facing the nation. The Lord's response was confusing and unexpected. Habakkuk did not quit. He kept praying, and here in the beginning of the second chapter declares his intention of continuing to pray.
But this was not a situation where someone decides to keep praying until God gives him what they want. Not at all! As a matter of fact, what Habakkuk was hearing was not what he wanted.
His commitment to persistent prayer was not about his own desires, but God's purposes. He could easily have said, "I don't like what I'm hearing from God, so I quit." But this was a man of prayer who understood the critical need of standing on the (spiritual) wall of his nation and crying out until the purposes of God were revealed.
This short prophetic book gives a hard answer to Habakkuk's prayer. Invasion was coming. Tough times were abut to hit the people of God. But the prophet also saw a vision of God overcoming evil. He saw a time when, "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (2:14).
It is time for that sort of persistence in prayer for the people of God today. We face times of crisis. Who is crying out for the purposes of God to be revealed in our day? Who will stand at their watch and pray? Not the kind of prayer that tries to talk God into giving us what we want, but lining our prayers up with the desires of God.
I invite you to join me in praying one of Habakkuk's prayers: "Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy" (3:2). ~ Used by permission.[Jan/Feb, 2021 Herald of His Coming newspaper]
Let's pray-
436-440 one-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-
436- Pro. 21:2 "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts."
437- Is. 45:5 "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me; I girded thee, though thou hast not known me."
438- Ps. 16:1 "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust."
439- Ps. 119:154 "Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word."
440- Mark 9:23 "Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."
Today's special link:
~ Jill and Mark Savage: A replay of "How We Rebuilt a Better Marriage After Broken Trust" webnar
→ Click here to watch the webinar replay ←
Today's encouragement is to believe the best in your spouse and when learning anything new, expect a few 'Groundhog Days' before you’re comfortable and succeeding. It will help you succeed more in the long run!"
~ With the knowledge of the provision of Salvation, we have no excuse, but to accept it, or face the consequences of separation from eternal life with Jesus. This will mean eternal punishment in hell’s fire. Ask Jesus to save you now and write your name in the Lamb's Book of Life.
The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,
located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,
broadcast their Sunday services at 10 or 10:15
You can view past services too.
Great article.God bless
ReplyDelete