Pray and Don't Lose Heart

"Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart." Luke 18:1

Jesus was talking to His disciples, His closest followers. He was in a stage of the ministry where He was teaching them many lessons. He had begun to reveal to them what would be happening in the future. He is about to teach them another parable and we see this verse, "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart."

The principle from this verse is a treasure to all who will grasp it. We ought to pray and not lose heart, at all times and in all circumstances.

Prayer is simply communication with God. When we communicate with a friend or loved one, we are closer to them. We know more about them. We are more intimate with them. When we pray to God we are closer to Him and begin to understand and trust Him more.

Many times this life is filled with disappointments. We don't always enjoy every circumstance that comes our way. Perhaps we've lost a job or a loved one. Maybe we are stricken with some ailment or out of finances to pay bills. Maybe we are depressed and lonely. Here, Jesus is saying to pray and not lose heart. This translates to ALL areas of our lives. We are called to focus on our relationship with the Lord and communicate to Him, even our needs or questions. We are then called to have faith and trust in the one that holds all outcomes and to not lose heart.

How would your life be if you put this into practice? We see Jesus as our example even in this. Before he would address the crowds, He would often times pull away and pray and seek God. As I read scripture, I see that Jesus never lost heart. He was always praying to God. Before He fed the 5,000 we read that He looked to heaven and asked for God's blessing. If Jesus practiced this praying and not losing heart in His own life and ministry, how much more should we practice it in these last days?

There's an old hymn that says, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey!" Trust God and let His Spirit work in you this day!