Perseverance Through Prayer

Exodus 5:21-23 -  And they said to them, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”  So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me?  For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

Moses had done exactly what God had instructed him. He asked…the Pharaoh said no…and then increased the labor required of his captives.  The people were all for Moses when they thought it would be a simple matter to release them….but now they were angry at him.  His presence did not help them as he promised…it made their lives much harder.

Perhaps Moses remembered God’s words that Pharaoh’s heart would be difficult to change….so he did not give up.  He took his frustration and confusion straight to the God that had sent him. He asked the hard question why.  He stated the facts of his confusion … and the trouble God had not warned him about.

It is a reminder to me that some jobs that God gives us to do are not simple or easy.  They require perseverance….faith….trust …and many sessions of prayer and Bible study to continue to press on.  As Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13… we must continually… “ press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

I have felt deeply since I moved here that God wanted me to organize a Celebrate Recovery Group at my home church. We have met many times…each meeting thinking and working out the issues that will keep it from being a successful ministry. It is okay that it is a long process…for God’s timeline is not always immediate. We will keep bathing it in prayer…until the staff of the church decides to move forward with a date for a leadership meeting. Then we will bathe it in even more prayer until God is ready to make it a program he can use to increase his kingdom …strengthening the ones that come to help them recover from a life hurt…hang up…or habit that has weakened their faith.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are always there…ready to hear our praises and our frustrations.  Forgive me for the times that I have vented my concerns to others before I have taken them to you. Help me to always remember to come to you with any concern or issue…so you can help me understand and persevere through any situation Amen.