Never Give Up!

"And let us not be weary in well doing:

for in due season we shall reap,

if we faint not."

Galatians 6:9

This fall we cleared six acres of our woods to make more pasture for our cows. After the trees were removed, we walked up and down the hills and scattering seeds in hopes of growing lush fields.

Everyday, for one week , I would carry buckets of seeds throughout the fields. As I sowed the seeds by hand, I prayed continually for a harvest. I diligently prayed over those fields night and day. Those seeds weren't cheap! And my muscles ached from carrying the heavy buckets and walking up and down the hills. As I threw out the handful of seeds, I imagined beautiful red and white clover with honey bees buzzing around, blue grass flowing in the wind, and our horse grazing in fields with alfalfa. But as I walked the hills, all I saw was dirt. Just dirt.

Maybe you have been trusting God for a desire of your heart, but have gotten discouraged during the time of waiting between the seed sown and the harvest reaped. I want to encourage you not to quit. Never give up! You can rest assured that God is faithful and WILL perform His Word in your life.

Each time I threw out seeds into our fields of dirt, I was reminded of other seeds I had sown. I thought back over the years of mothering our large tribe. The prayers, the tears, the patience, the hard work...only to see that some of my fields have not given the harvest I expected. The times I sowed into friendships, only to be betrayed. The years we served in the ministry, daily sowing into the lives of others, who would eventually walk away from the church. Yet, while trudging up those hills, God gently reminded me that He is in charge of the harvest. My job is to plant the seeds, water them with His Word, and trust that He knows best.

There are probably some things in your life that you have been praying about for many years. But, for whatever reason, they have not been answered. I want to encourage you not to give up while you wait for your seed to grow and your harvest to be reaped.

I believe in prayer. I know that God knows what we need before we ask, but I also believe that He will not give us what we need unless we ask. Prayer is a powerful weapon!

I am fascinated by the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 18:42-46. I hope the story is familiar to you.

Elijah had just had a giant face-off with the prophets of Baal and Asherah. It was a contest to see once and for all who the true God really was. God proved Himself to be the Almighty God and the false prophets were executed. It was a glorious victory. But there was still a huge problem-the country was in a horrible drought.

So what does Elijah do? Oh the lessons we can learn from this guy!

First, he withdrew from the crowd. He separated himself and found a quiet place to pray.

If we want to see His power evidenced in our lives, we must set time aside to be with him privately. This world is crazy and it's fatal to the spirit of devotion. We must find time to get alone with God.

Secondly, Elijah prayed with great confidence. He prayed believing that God would answer. Remember, he kept sending his servant away to eat and drink...he thought the drought was about to end. Elijah told him, "There was a sound of heavy rain." That's confidence!

But praying, believing without doubting, is our problem. We don't pray for a healing because the doctors have said, "nothing can be done." We don't want to pray for God to provide for a something because we don't think we can afford it or manage it. We always want the "sure thing." Truth be told, we are really just afraid to trust God.

But God told Elijah that the drought was about to end. So Elijah had to claim the Word of God over his situation. If you want your prayers to be effective, hold on to God's promises. Pray them over your family and your life.

Do you remember when Elijah went sprinting and ran in front of the chariot the entire 20 miles or so? He was confident in His God and took action based on that confidence.

And did you see how he prayed? He was very specific. Elijah wasn't praying, "Lord, make it rain sometime." He was praying, "Lord, bring the rain NOW."

For the past year God has really impressed on my heart to be very specific when I pray. So each day I call out the names of each of my children. I pray very specifically for each one with their needs in mind. Why? Because I truly believe that God WILL answer when I call upon Him.

Here's a question: how would you know that God answered your prayers? Could you point to something and say "God answered my prayer?"

Lastly, Elijah was persistent. He sent his servant seven times to check the skies for a sign of a coming storm. We often pray about a situation and either never think of it again, or just give up and conclude that God is not going to answer our prayers. I wonder how many people will be in heaven because someone prayed for them for 10 or 20 years. Good things happen when we persevere in prayer.

Maybe you have experienced the temptation to give up. But Galatians 6:9 urges you not to loosen your grip....keep your eyes focused on the harvest. If you will remain steadfast, the time of waiting will eventually end and your harvest will come!

Never Give Up!

Plant your prayers with confidence!