Never give up praying

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they“ ought always to pray and not lose heart.” Luke 18:1

On January 23, WFLA News reported that 35-year-old runner Rob Holcomb broke the world’s record for the fastest mile while pushing a stroller with a time of 4 minutes, 53 seconds. Third time’s a charm, as they say,” Holcomb breathlessly exclaims moments after finishing. His two previous attempts came up short. Very short. The previous record was 4:57:10. He tried the first attempt in December and again earlier in January. “Half second the first time. Six tenths of a second this time, so a half second both times,” Holcomb said. He’d only missed the record by a half second. This time he smashed the record beating it by nearly four seconds. The elements were stacked against him in the first two attempts with strong winds, but the cloudy, chilly morning of January 23, 2022 proved to be ideal racing conditions.

And you know, it’s very rare that any of us will ever experience ideal conditions in this life; and if we do those perfect circumstances certainly won’t last. We will all have our fair share of troubles, trials, and tribulations that will threaten to keep us down or tempt us to give up. Which is the very reason that Jesus tells us the parable of the persistent widow and said that we “ought always to pray and not lose heart.” He was reminding us that persistence in prayer always pays off and that, like the widow, we should never give up doing it—continuing firmly until that prayer is answered, while keeping in mind that God answers prayer in His way, according to His will, and in His time. 

So if you’re like most people and battling the elements of this crazy world today, don’t lose hope my friend. Like Rob, the third time might just be the charm. But it could very well be the 13th, 30th or the 300th time as well. Just don’t give up praying. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for being a God who hears our prayers. Lord when we can’t understand why we don’t get what we pray for, cause us to understand that Your ways are higher than ours so that we will trust you and not lose hope. Remind us too Lord that the answer to our prayer may not always be yes or no but later. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!