Pray hardest when it’s hardest to pray
Are you old enough (like me 🫣) to remember the WWJD bracelets trend from the 90s?
Christians would wear these polyester wristbands with the acronym WWJD (‘What Would Jesus Do?’), as a reminder to be more Christlike and to make the kind of decisions they believe Jesus would make.
There was another bracelet, with the acronym PUSH: Pray Until Something Happens. That one was my favourite!
It is a powerful reminder to not give up in prayer when we don’t see immediate results, but to continue until we witness the change we’re longing for.
When it feels like your prayers are going unanswered, it’s easy to lose motivation. But even unanswered prayers still carry weight because they do lead to transformation, even if it is not in the way you expect.
The Bible teaches us:
Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit – Romans 5:3-5
Have you been suffering through something, and you feel all your prayers are hitting the ceiling? Don’t lose hope! The more you keep praying for the situation, the more hope will take root in your heart.
That’s another reason why prayer, and especially continued, persistent prayer, is so important–it produces perseverance, character and hope.
When we were praying for our son, Zac (who passed away recently), to be healed, we were heartbroken over the lack of medical progress and unanswered prayers. But on the other hand, the very fact that we knew God could and wanted to heal Zac gave us hope. Without that hope, I don’t think we could have walked that journey at all.
If you feel like you are in a hopeless situation, don’t give up, but keep praying! And remember this: pray hardest when it’s hardest to pray.
