Pray 21: Persistence

"And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." (Luke 18:1)

Imagine. He's a Jewish Man, average height, strong, carpenter hands. His eyes are brown, and while they may seem common, the power of them is insane. He is a hard worker and a gentle Person but full of a power from whose source cannot be easily identified by the complicated thinkers.

And every morning, this Man wakes up before the sun gleams to pray. He is a WARRIOR.

His name is Jesus.

And I'm CAPTIVATED by this verse, and in the context, it's even more incredible. You should read it!

But what Jesus is saying in the parable and through this verse is so powerful. Jesus wants us to pray, to pray "always" and to not get discouraged.

How often do I get discouraged? How many seconds of my day have been spent in even simply shallow moments of just quick discouragement, not to mention the days that are full of it (these are few and far between, but some days are just "those types of days," ya know?).

And the God-Man who wakes up early to pray tells us to pray hard. To pray often. To NOT GIVE UP when we're praying.

This strikes me.

In fact, I think I need to think about this more.

Dear Father,
There's a lot on my mind, Jesus. A lot on my heart. Swirling chaos. You were so faithful to pray. You understood what it was. Help me to understand what prayer is, help me to pray always, to not get discouraged when I'm praying and to not let myself get discouraged because I AM praying. (Is that what You mean?)

I am Yours, Jesus. Please give me the strength to say "Yes" to You in EVERYTHING.

I love You. Teach me to love You more purely, Jesus.

In Your name, amen.