If you have ever felt like giving up on praying for someone or something, this post is for you.
The timing of God blows me away. On so many occasions, I have been reminded that God’s in control. He is Sovereign. He cares about every part of my life in the most intimate ways.
Over the last several years, I have been praying a specific prayer request over a particular person in my life. Recently, after several conversations with this person, it seemed abundantly clear they had no intention of pursuing Jesus is a specific area of their life. I was defeated and discouraged, thinking, “God, are you even listening? You know what’s right for this person. I know what’s right. Why aren’t you moving on their behalf?”
I woke up the next morning and had my regular quiet time with God. I wrote in my journal, read the Scripture, and then opened up my Bible Memory app to review some memory verses. The very first verse up for review was 1 Samuel 7:8-9:
“Don’t stop pleading with the LORD our God to save us from the Philistines!” they begged Samuel. So Samuel took a young lamb and offered it to the LORD as a whole burnt offering. He pleaded with the LORD to help Israel, and the LORD answered him.
Now, why would I memorize these verses? Because on April 30th, 2016, I had an eerily similar encounter with God as already described. I had been working with and praying for a specific person in my life, but they seemed doggedly determined not to pursue God’s will in the area I was praying for. I was defeated and discouraged that day as well.
But on that day in 2016, God used a random Scripture in 1 Samuel to encourage me to keep on praying and never give up. In those verses, the people of Israel beg Samuel to keep praying for them. When I read it, I felt the Lord say, “Jeff, I know this person isn’t asking you to pray for them, but I am. Don’t stop pleading with me on their behalf!”
Now, four years later, that is the first verse in my Bible memory review app on the very day I’m experiencing a similar thing with someone else? I couldn’t time that out if I tried? But God can.
I don’t know who you’ve been praying for or what you’ve been praying for, but someone needs me as their confirmation today: Don’t stop pleading with the Lord on their behalf. They may not be asking you to, but God is.
Luke 18:1 says One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.
That’s what I’m going to do. Who’s joining me?