Don’t Stop Praying
“We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character, and character, hope.” - Romans 5:4-5
This isn't just some fickle hope we're talking about here. You know, this isn't this wishy-washy, “Well, maybe…I hope it'll happen,” expecting an outcome or expecting something of what we want to see. No—this is eternal hope in Jesus, knowing what He's done.
And I don't know about y'all, but there are a lot of things that I have prayed for, that I have hoped for, that did not turn out the way I wanted them to. The things I thought I saw—and I use this as an example a lot—was when my dad passed away. I prayed my heart out that he would be healed on this side of heaven, and I did not see that.
What I did see was him bow his knee to the name of Jesus and begin to declare the works of God while he had the last six months to live on this earth. And that’s what I rejoice in. That’s what still gives me hope that no matter what I see—it doesn't matter—I can't look at the temporal. I have to fix my eyes on what is above, what is eternal, and pray that what He has willed, what He has planned, is what's done on earth—and get in agreement and alignment with that in my spirit, saying, “This is okay.”
It may not be okay in what it looks like—the situation—but because God is in it, and He's with me, and He's for me, and He will use all of it, this will be okay. We can make it through this.
Then there are things that I have prayed for, and I have seen God move in miraculous ways. One of the recent examples that I'll share is about my sister. A couple of years ago, she called me and was really struggling. She had some health diagnoses that just weren’t great, and it affected her getting pregnant.
She would call me, and with each negative pregnancy test, just cry. She's like, “I don't know what to do.” And so we would pray over the phone. And it grieved me—it grieved me to see someone I love hurting so deeply and carrying such a heavy burden.
I remember going home for Christmas that year, and something just rose up within me: “You need to pray. You need to pray in her home. Pray right now.” And I did.
I walked up and down those halls and just prayed for God to move—for His will to be done in my sister's life, for her womb to be healed, and for joy, just pure joy, to resound and echo down those halls. That life would be filled there and that God's purposes would be done in her life.
And as I was leaving — I was sitting there about to back up, and I looked at her house. It was Christmas time, so she had her house decorated. And there was one sign right next to her door—and the word on it was JOY.
Something in my spirit just quickened, and I just heard: “Joy will come to this house. There will be joy in this house.” And I didn’t know if that meant through a child or something else. But joy was there because Christ was there and His Spirit was there.
I prayed and said, “God, move. Do what only You can do.”
Christmas, one year later, we're in the hospital waiting for my niece to be born. And she has brought so much joy after a great season of loss—after losing our dad. My sister was his primary caregiver, and she walked through such heavy grief. And that blessing of a child lifted that weight off her.
God had used her mightily to say that He's still here, that He's still moving, that He's working, and that He loves her—and me as well. It built my faith in a way that I can say only God could do something like that. Only God can take the prayer of the righteous and make it His will. Only God can take a seed of faith and water it and grow it and birth something from that.
So whatever it is that you guys are praying for—don’t stop. Don’t stop praying for it. And don’t stop praying for His will to be done. Because it may not look like, or turn out how we want it to—but it will be the best. It will be the best. And He will get all the glory through it. He will be magnified.
- An excerpt from “Praying in The Spirit” morning Bible study
