Don’t Give Up: Pray with Perseverance
This is a recent post I wrote for Planting Roots. Find encouragement when prayers don’t come easy.
Some things don’t come easy.
And some prayers aren’t answered quickly.
She looks out the window as the rain comes down in sheets. “Is God listening,” she wonders as she struggles to believe God will answer.
If she had a dollar for each prayer she has prayed for this difficult situation, she’d be a wealthy woman by now.
We’ve all felt discouraged in the face of unanswered prayer.
Do you remember the parable that Jesus told about the poor widow, begging the unjust judge for legal protection from her opponent? The story is found in Luke 18:1-8.
“Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge *said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
Keep asking.
This poor woman kept coming to that nasty judge, bothering him, asking persistently. He finally gave in just to get her off his back. Jesus makes the point that if an unjust judge will answer persistence, how much more will God bring justice to His children who cry out to Him.
This widow was in a difficult and seemingly hopeless situation. She had two choices: she could give up or she could persevere and keep asking for justice. She shows a persistent faith that keeps coming, keeps asking even in the face of a difficult, discouraging, unjust, unfair situation.
[tweetthis twitter_handles=”@GingHarrington” hidden_hashtags=”#prayer #perseverance”]Don’t give up.[/tweetthis]
To ask persistently demonstrates an intensity of need or desire, as well as faith to keep asking. Persistent faith keeps asking, keeps coming, despite prolonged difficulty. [tweetthis twitter_handles=”via@GingHarrington” hidden_hashtags=”#prayer, #faith”]Persevering faith does not give in or give up, but believes that God will answer.[/tweetthis]
Perseverance is a choice, and persistent prayer builds spiritual strength.
What would have happened if the widow had stopped asking after the 2nd or 3rd time?
Pray on with perseverance, trust God, and don’t give up. He’s listening.
Join me at Planting Roots for the rest of this post.
Linking with the lovely bloggers at #RaRaLinkUp and Testimony Tuesday.
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I Give You Permission to Spend Time With Friends
Good friendships don’t happen by accident. They take time and attention to grow. However, developing the gift of girlfriend comes with intention and action. Friendship is a special blessing in every season of life.
Summer days, what better time to focus on friendship?
Busy days and cramped schedules make it easy to become disconnected from friends. When my children were younger, time with friends part of our routine. Kids came over to play, and so did their moms.
We lived in a neighborhood where friendship came easily and community was a natural part of the neighborhood. We gathered in yards while kids connected houses with lines of hopscotch grids and stick figure drawings.
Now my kids are all taller than I am and they are busy with their own adventures. They don’t need mom watching from the sidelines. Kid activities no longer create friendships with other moms.
A different season.
As a writer, my schedule is often rather solitary. I love what I do, but there are days when I feel isolated as I tap away at the computer keys. I’m blessed with wonderful friends, but the time to enjoy relationships is harder to find. [tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#friendship”]My need for friendship doesn’t go away just because I am working and life is busy.[/tweetthis]
When my kids were younger, we sometimes grounded them from hanging out with friends when they misbehaved. For teenagers, there was no better consequence. Do you know what? I’ve just realized, that for the past few years, I’ve virtually grounded myself.
Too often, I tell myself, I will plan time with a friend when I get my work done. Somehow, I feel guilty or lazy if I take time to hang out with a friend. How crazy is that?
Well, it’s time for the guilt to stop.
For most of us, our work is never really done. There is always something else on the to-do list. I don’t know about you, but my task list can seem longer than a new roll of toilet paper. If we prioritize friendship as a treat to be held off until all our work is done, then we find ourselves isolated and disconnected from people we care about.
Today, I’m giving myself permission to make for time for friendship. And just because I’m Queen of this corner of the Bloggy World…
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#timewithfriends #friendship”]I give you permission to spend time with friends.[/tweetthis]
Goodbye guilt and hello fun!
Laughing with friends is good for your soul, and here is where the spiritual meets the practical today. I don’t often give homework on this blog, but today I have an assignment for you: plan to do something fun with a friend this week. No excuses, okay?
Seriously…do it!
What challenge do you face in making time for friendship? How have you overcome that challenge? I’d love to hear what’s on your heart today.
Friend, I can’t write about friends and not tell you how very grateful I am that you choose to visit my online home. Your friendship means the world to me. Thanks for reading!
Do You Have the Gift of Girlfriend?
Longing for friendship and connection starts early in life.
Every girl knows there is no age limit on the value of a good friend.
My daughter toddles out to the pool with her babydoll stroller, clomping in her grandma’s pretty shoes. She loves the clackity-clack of hard soles on hot cement. Grandma follows close behind to make sure this little one stays away from the edge of the pool.
Cute as a bluebird, she perches on side of the pool in her ruffled bathing suit. I love hearing my girlie chat with anyone who will stop and visit. She chirps, “Hi. What’s your name?” And off she goes into a fascinating, friend-making conversation. By the end of the afternoon, she has met many of the adults and most of the children at the pool. With her three-year-old wisdom, no one needs to tell her this truth: there is something special about friendship.
Do you have the gift of girlfriend?
This may seem like an odd question. My friends, Larissa and Jenny both have a friendship gift that comes naturally, but they also work hard at building relationships. Building community and making friends is an intrinsic part of who they are. They have that special gift of girlfriend.
For many, friendship doesn’t come easily. Initiating relationships feels uncomfortable and risky. And though friendship can be the source of great joy, betrayal or rejection from a friend can break your heart. Remember those awkward middle school years of fluctuating friendships and alliances that could shift with the wind? Best friends could become worst enemies and the in-crowd could be cruel to many. Friendship was often a competition during those insecure days of adolescence–who has the most friends, the coolest buddies, the prettiest pals, the funniest girlfriends?
[tweetthis]Though we’ve grown up, friendship can still become a competition.[/tweetthis]
Isn’t it time to release that sneaky temptation to compare ourselves with others? Some people have loads of friends, others only a few. Some make friends easily, others struggle. The most important thing is to focus on being a great friend to the ones God has given you.
I love these words from Elizabeth of Just Following Jesus:
Maturity realizes that there’s only one me and there’s only one you, and though my friend may have five other friends, there’s only one me in her life. Relationships shouldn’t be a competition. Being true to being who you are makes you irreplaceable. Trying to be like others in order to be liked and accepted makes you just another face in the crowd.
Don’t expect any one friend to be all things friend to you. Let each friendship naturally evolve and take its own path. When we trust God with our friendships, we can be okay with the fact that every friendship may not grow the way we would like. Some friendships grow close quickly, others slowly develop over time. Some never get past , “Hi, how are you?”
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#friends, #makingfriends”]One thing is true: the best way to have a good friend is to be one.[/tweetthis]
The best way to develop the gift of girlfriend is to learn to treat others well. God’s wisdom shows us many ways to build relationships.
14 Tips for being the Friend You Want to Have.
Romans 12:9-19 offers wisdom that can be a great guide for friendships. The following list is straight out of The Message.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it.
Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good.
Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame.
Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant.
Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder.
Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath.
Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down.
Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up.
Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone.
If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody.
Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”
Take a moment to ask God to show you one thing to work on in your relationships. Will you trust Him to help you grow in this area?
What has God put on your heart today?
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