Title: “Praying Through”/ Topic: Perseverance

Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17; Psalm 2; Matthew 20

Scripture: Matthew 20:29-34
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"
32 Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
33 "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight."
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Observation: Here is an example of what older Christians refer to as “praying through”, meaning that we have to pray, and keep praying, until we get an answer from God. These blind men had heard that Jesus healed people, so when they heard that he was passing by, they cried out for him to attend to their needs. The crowd, however, were quite disturbed by their outbursts, and told them to shut up. At this point, the blind men had a choice: They could bow to peer pressure for the sake of being socially acceptable or they could persist in seeking help from Jesus. They chose the latter. In the face of opposition, they not only kept asking God for what they wanted, they got bolder in doing so, and they received what they asked for as a result.

Application: What a lesson in faith and perseverance. When I face obstacles in prayer and things aren't happening as I think they should, do I give up or do I get bolder and more persistent in asking God for victory? Do I grow my faith or do I let myself believe that God just doesn't care about my request? Too often, I have let the obstacles that Satan brings to cause me to back down instead of “crying out all the more” to God.

Prayer: Father, may I learn the lesson of the blind men and be persistent and fervent in my praying. I never want to give Satan a victory by backing down or believing his lies that I'm not important or spiritual enough for you to answer me when I call out to you. YOU PROVED HOW MUCH YOU CARE FOR ME ON THE CROSS! I want to be a spiritual warrior who prays through until victory is achieved. Help me to not grow weary of praying for things when I don't see immediate answers. You are faithful and I want to be faithful also. Thank you for loving and caring for me.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.