Prayers of endurance
Stay strong, my friends!
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going”
It’s a phrase you’ve heard before (maybe?).
But what does the Bible have to say about something like this?
Ephesians 6:18—Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-17—16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing
It would seem that the appropriate response to “the going getting tough” is to dig in with our prayer life…and take it a step further…by praying even more for others.
Bills not getting paid on time, losing relationships, loss of job security, etc. It can all heavily impact our well-being.
And what do the earliest followers of Jesus say? What do those say who lived in the same generation of Jesus and either heard his teachings directly or heard from someone who did hear Jesus directly, what do they tell us to do?
Pray harder, more often, and for more people.
Because, when the going gets tough, the faithful go before the toughest one of all.
This is why people, in their darkest pits of despair, often come to Jesus.
Because it is in those moments of struggle where we finally realize we need someone and something beyond ourselves. We find that we need God and others.
And the intersection of those two needs is prayer.
My prayer for today
Our Father, thank you for the call to dig in deeper. Jesus, encourage and uplift us when we feel like we can’t go on any further. Spirit, help us find peace and patience for ourselves and for others during those times of suffering. Amen.
Remember
There is a difference between digging in and seeking help. Seeking help can, more often than not, be a form of digging in and digging deeper…especially in the life of a faithful follower of Jesus.