MORNING DEVOTION- "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee..." (Psalm 63:1)
Scripture Reading: Mark 9:14-29
No sooner had Jesus and the three disciples descended from an unbelievable experience on the mountain, that they were immediately confronted by the challenges of the world below. Peter, James, and John had just witnessed the transfiguration of the Lord (no doubt having their own faith strengthened), and were still relishing in the spiritual high of their mountaintop experience, when they were faced with the discouragement and failure of the other disciples. "So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not" (v.18b). The power that Jesus had given them to heal disease and cast out demons was not taken from them when He went away, but they somehow found themselves powerless in this particular moment. The power wasn't in them, but they had access to it. Their failure, as in all spiritual failure in the church, came from one place: their lack of faith. Our power as believers comes from Christ, and it is found in faith in Him alone. "Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, 'Why couldn't we drive it out?' He replied, "Because you have so little faith." (Matthew 17:19, 20a).
Our patient and long-suffering Lord seemed to have grown weary by the faithless response of His students. "O unbelieving generation...how long shall I stay with you?" (Mark 9:19). The hour was urgent, and the cross was fast approaching, but the disciples still had much to learn about believing, persevering prayer. They had been successful so many times before, why was this time any different? Their Teacher explained, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting" (v.29, NKJV). Their work was not met with the simplicity and ease they had previously experienced; there seemed to be a more resistant force warring against them this time around. A weak and diminishing faith would be no match for this stubborn spirit. Those who would be disciples of Christ must have a growing faith - a strong faith - in order to move mountains and advance the kingdom of God. This is where prayer and fasting become necessary in the life of the believer.
A life of prayer is a life lived in close fellowship with the Lord, and living a life of fasting is to be separated from the world. Both are essential elements for our spiritual health and growth, and for the development of our faith. We cannot expect to be people of faith if we are not people of prayer, nor can we expect our faith to become strong and effectual without fasting. Our faith is meant to be developed, and fasting helps the true prayer warrior separate from the powers that constrain their prayers in the physical realm and attain the full power of prayer in the spiritual realm. When we fast we feed on the food that faith is meant to live on - God Himself - and access the full power we need for victory in prayer. "Everything is possible for him who believes" (v.23b).
Heavenly Father,
Strengthen my faith for the various trials
I will face so that nothing will be impossible for me
because of my belief and trust in You.
Lord, make Your Body strong, whole,
and healthy, so that we will have
all the power of faith we need
to advance Your kingdom in this world.
Lead us to deeper intimacy with You,
in prayer and with fasting,
so we can be set apart for Your
purposes and have nothing hindering
the work that You have called us to do.
Thank You that the greatest work You
have called us to do is to live a life
of deepening intimacy with You.
Lead Your Church to attain the full measure of power and
blessing that comes from the development of faith in You.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
We have all experienced what it is like to hit a spiritual wall that required persevering and prevailing prayer to break through. We need a strong and growing faith to remove the obstacles in our path, if we are to continue down the spiritual path the Lord has prepared for us to walk, and advance his kingdom in this world. Prayer is vital to the development of our faith which enables us to continue moving forward and not become paralyzed or begin to back-slide in our Christian walk. The deeper, more intimate fellowship we have with the Lord, the stronger our faith becomes. The more our hearts are opened to the Father and His kingdom through our times of prayer, the greater our desire will be to release our grasp on this world. Fasting enables the intercessor to let go of that tight grasp so many of us have on the physical and visible world, so that we can grab a firmer hold of the hem of Jesus' robe and lay hold of every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19).
AFTERNOON DEVOTION -"Evening, and morning, and noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:17, KJV).
Scripture Reading: Luke 18:1-8
Knowing that they would face various trials as they carried the message of the cross forward, the Lord took His disciples on a field trip to a courtroom, sharing with them this parable of the persistent widow, "to show them that they should always pray and not give up" (v. 1). It took some time, but the widow persevered until she got what she wanted; her relentless and vigilant pursuit of justice resulted in her receiving that which she fought for. The unrighteous judge was eventually worn out by her pleading and conceded to her request. In contrast, our Righteous Judge already has His blessing prepared; He is simply waiting to see if we will accept our duty in prayer, and take the time necessary to ask. "I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth" (Isaiah 62:6).
Our faith is made more firm when we persevere in prayer. Whether we are waiting on the Lord's return, or simply for an answer to our daily prayers, the Lord desires that we rejoice in the promise of the answer as we persevere until it comes. Abraham provides a perfect example of one who persevered by faith. He stood firmly on God's promises as God took the time necessary to prepare those involved to receive His promised blessing. "Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised" (Romans 4:20-21).
If we truly have the faith of the ancients, as described in Hebrews 11:1, we should have no problem persevering in prayer as we wait on God to bring the promised answer. We have learned, "that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:3-4). Our faith journey is a growth journey as the Lord continues His sanctification process in our lives. His answer will come at just the right time He intends for it to come, but often there is necessary work to be done to prepare us, and others, to receive the blessing of His answer. Our commitment to follow Jesus to that private place of prayer each day provides Him opportunity to speak to our hearts and prepare us for what is to come. We know the Lord is returning, He has promised He will (reference Matthew 24:44; Mark 13:26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10), but there is still much work to be done to prepare His Bride to receive Him (reference Matthew 25:1-13; Mark 13:36-37), and to finish the work He has called us to do (reference Matthew 28:18-20). The Lord has given us His Word, but we have a responsibility to persevere in prayer until we see His promises fulfilled; when we do we receive the added blessing of closer fellowship with the Lord.
Heavenly Father,
Give me the strength necessary to labor in prayer;
persevering until Your intended answer comes.
Help me to ask joyfully and with hope,
as I wait expectantly on Your answer and
experience deeper fellowship with You.
Teach me to let You take Your time in answering me,
and, while I wait, to learn to delight in knowing that
You need to take time with me to grow me
and prepare me to receive the full measure
of the unsearchable riches of Christ!
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
The Word of God compares perseverance in prayer to a future harvest that must first receive the necessary sunshine and rain to produce a ripened crop: "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near...The Judge is standing at the door!" (James 5:7-9). May we be vigilant in our prayers for the withered and weary Church to be awakened and revived, so she, the Bride of Christ, can be fruitful and fully prepared as she awaits the Lord's return. Let us lift up persecuted Christians all over the world who are suffering at the hands of our adversary, and who need the united prayers of all the saints to cry to the Lord day and night until His justice comes. Let us pray particularly for the victims and families of the Emanuel AME Church shooting that occurred on June 17th in Charleston, South Carolina. May the Body of Christ be awakened to the sufferings of all the members of His Body, and be stirred to earnest, fervent, and effectual prayer so the whole Body can be strengthened and not grow weary or faint, or begin to despair or become fearful as we answer the call of our Lord Jesus Christ to unite in His holy work of intercession. "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves...May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 15:1, 5-6).
EVENING MEDITATION -"...and on His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2)
Scripture Reading: Psalm 17
As we meditate on this prayer of David, as recorded in Psalm 17, we find him making his appeal to the Lord as his Judge, seeking justice in the face of his adversaries. Just as He promised in the parable of the persistent widow, our righteous Judge will vindicate His righteous ones who cry out to Him day and night. "...in righteousness I will see Your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing Your likeness" (v.15). Let us remember that when we pray, we come before a throne of grace, and that our Father in heaven is a Righteous Judge who desires His children to come boldly before His throne to make our requests. It is His desire to bless us. We are not alone in our petitions, we have an advocate in our Lord Jesus Christ, who always lives to intercede for us (reference Hebrews 7:25). May we, like David, come with our hearts fully yielded, and make our petitions with confidence, trusting that He will strengthen our hearts, and grow our faith, so we can persevere in prayer, giving Him no rest until we see the fruit of our labor; so that when He returns He will indeed find faith on this earth!
