Don't Stop Praying!

 I've heard the Matthew West song "Don't Stop Praying" many times on the radio. Once again, I really never paid attention to the lyrics, just the part about "Don't Stop Praying." One day last week, the lyrics finally hit me, hard! He was singing about continue praying no matter what. Even when you don't feel like it, or you think that God is not listening. Don't stop praying. Just because He doesn't answer a prayer the way that you think it should be answered, don't stop praying.

I thought about my mom. The whole time she was in the hospital. I would pray for her before I left every night. I would pray that God would heal her and get her out of that hospital bed. Night after night, the prayers continued. Till one night I got the call. You know the one that we all dread. "Mom is not going to make it, you need to come to the hospital." She passed away early the next morning. But my prayers were answered. Not the way that I wanted, but the way that God wanted. He did heal her and get her out of that hospital bed. He called her back to Himself. Her race was finished. She had crossed her finish line.

I have had prayers answered immediately on the spot. I have had prayers answered sometime hours or days after I prayed. There are still some prayers that I am waiting to be answered. But, I don't stop praying.

Isaiah 55:9 New Living Translation

9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Just because God doesn't answer your prayer in your time frame, doesn't mean that He isn't listening. His answer may be not yet. Or just plain no. He doesn't always say yes to us. He knows what we need and what is best for us.

Jeremiah 29:12 Amplified Bible

12 Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you.

I drive an electric forklift at work. When the battery gets low, a warning beep goes off. When it is completely dead, it will beep twice. There have been loads that I have been about half way unloading when the truck beeps once. I still have a half of the load to go. I pray "Lord, give my truck enough power to make it through this load before it dies." More so than not, that prayer is answered. It reminds me of the verse in The Bible when a woman is baking something and the flour and her oil supply is very low, but it never runs out. (1 Kings 17:16)

I get approached all the time for healing prayer. Love that. God will hear those prayers. But there is so much more than just healing. We can pray for protection & provision for our families. Battery power, rain, sunshine, a good outcome, job, etc. etc. The point is: Don't Stop Praying!

Romans 12:12 Living Bible

12 Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and prayerful always.

So I encourage you. No matter what your situation is, don't stop praying. Help is on the way. Maybe not the way that we think or expect, but it will come!

God bless.

Rev. Kev.