PRAYER ALERT by Raphael ben Levi
“Keep persisting in prayer, staying alert in it and being thankful.” (Col. 4:20)
“The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much” (James 5:26)
When reading these verses, I was challenged about how easy it is to approach things in our prayer life from a skewered perspective. The phrase ‘keep persisting’ ran through my mind as I reflected upon levels of obedience and the importance of acquiring a bulldog tenacity to keep us on track in this area. I recalled from Scripture people who started well yet somewhere along the way fell into a lifestyle of sin that ended in spiritual shipwreck. For others, it was less extreme but nonetheless devastating; discouragements and the vicissitudes of life in general caused them to throw in the towel. These types of scenarios can overshadow us too if we allow, and we need to take every precaution to ensure that, God forbid, we never become the next casualty. Our prayer life is one of several areas that serve to shield and protect us: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge;” (Ps. 91:1-4)
We are all, each one of us, equally dependent upon the grace of God at all times through Messiah Yeshua who equips us with everything necessary to be an overcomer! In this respect, let us stand in truth and walk in close relationship with God, strong in faith, in humility and the fear of the Lord. With it accompanies the assurance that we will remain ‘steadfast immoveable’ no matter what storms we may encounter or circumstance we may face. So too, nurture and cherish each moment with God that is embedded in prayer, the breath which sustains and strengthens us and the heartbeat of a true believer.
Let’s take heed of the foregoing exhortations from Scripture. The One who neither slumbers nor sleeps, who hears our faintest whisper, is standing close to our side reaching out with tender eyes of love for those with eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to receive!
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