Are you facing an impossible situation? I look back over my life in amazement at all the times there were seemingly no solutions, no resources, no way through; only to find that there was actually a door in what I thought was a wall.

Everyone’s impossible situation feels unique to them. There occurred a fascinating story during the ministry of Jesus that, although we will never face this same situation, gives us great insight into dealing with the impossible, no matter the specific circumstances.

You may know this incident as the Feeding of the 5,000 or Feeding the Multitudes. The second title is probably more appropriate because adding women and children to the 5,000 men, the crowd more likely numbered 15–20 thousand…all of them hungry. With no money available, no sources of food nearby, and the massive assignment Jesus tasked the disciples with (give them something to eat); this was clearly an impossible situation.

There are two questions asked and one statement made in the telling of the story that give us a powerful principle to apply to our own lives and situations. The first question was asked by Jesus: “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”

There was no good answer. It was an impossible scenario. Twelve poor men providing for 20,000 people. Where would there even be a place to get those kinds of supplies even if they had the money to do so? Jesus’ disciples didn’t have to take the time to come up with proposals or calculate the possibilities. This was a wall.

Jesus suggested that the disciples scout out the crowd and see what they could find that might provide for all. Having done that, the result was bleak…2 fish and 5 small loaves of bread. With the reality of what they were facing clearly evident, Andrew asked the second question: “How far will they go among so many?” It was a rhetorical question, the obvious answer being that it would feed one, maybe two. They had reached the end of the line.

The stage was set. The men arrived in their thinking at just where Jesus wanted them to. Then we find the story’s narrator revealing to us what was happening behind the scenes. He gives us the overriding principle for what is possible when facing the impossible:

“…for he (Jesus) already had in mind what he was going to do.”

The truth of impossible situations is that they are only impossible for us. God knows how he is going to solve them. He allows us to come right up to the wall so that when the door opens we will recognize that, without a doubt, He is the provider and the problem-solver…He is the door.

As you face your impossible situation, remember that God already has in mind what he is going to do. Admit your own inabilities and watch in faith for the miracle. That day, the people were fed, satisfied, and there were left overs enough to feed the disciples.

I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:9–10)

Jesus is the way through impossible situations. He is also the way to abundant life. Have you entered that life?

In the spiritual realm, when we talk about doubt, it usually causes no more than a shrug of our shoulders. In comparison to other ‘big’ sins we might commit, it is at the bottom of the list…a soft sin, so to speak.

I was recently confronted with this passage in the Scriptures that got me thinking about doubt from God’s point of view…When I doubt, I am actually imposing limits God’s abilities and character.

They spoke against God;

they said, “Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?

True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but

can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people?”

(Psalm 78:19–20)

The people spoke against the same God who had just rescued them from slavery in a miraculous and dramatic way. They did acknowledge His provision of abundantly flowing streams of water in the desert. It was true, they said, that he had struck the rock and water gushed out.

But…even though He did THAT…can He do THIS?

Do you find yourself ever asking that question about something in your life? The bottom line is that we know intellectually what is true about God, but our doubts reveal what we really believe about Him; they reveal that we don’t actually believe that God CAN.

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God asks us this penetrating question:

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”

When we question God’s character and abilities…if we have any doubt…then our answer to God’s question is, “Yes. This is too hard for you.”

Looking at my doubts in this way, jolts me into an urgency to take my doubt seriously. This is what I find helpful:

Meditate on what is true.

In Psalm 78, the people said, “True, He struck the rock and water gushed out…”

I also need to reflect on what’s true about (1) who He is, (2) what He has done, and (3) what He promises.

Search my heart for doubt.

About what in my life am I asking, “but can He?”

Confess.

Take each item that I am treating as though it is too hard for God and acknowledge my doubt for what it is…being against God.

Commit to walk in truth, not considering or allowing anything to appear more powerful than God.

Because doubt is insidious, I may need to repeat these steps frequently. As I do, He gives me rest and strengthens my faith.

How full is your heart of doubt? What limits are you imposing on God?

Living without meaning is dark, dry, and painful. The idea that we spend our lives on this planet, dealing with what seem to be endless problems, only to end in the grave, can plunge a person into despair. What is there is get up for in the morning? Why even bother?

There are dark voices all around us and sometimes within us that shout, “Life is futile”. It is the same cry that King Solomon, (a man renowned for great wisdom) shouted as he set out to discover the use in life. The opening statement to his ponderings in the book of Ecclesiastes is:

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

The mood of Solomon’s ponderings shifts as he begins to see his place in a greater story. The darkness of his soul begins to give way to light. Hope is birthed in the understanding of eternity and the knowledge of God’s bigger plan for his life.

“What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Finding our place in a greater story, God’s story, is vital if we are to take hold of life that is truly life and conquer futility. We all have life in the physical sense of being born into this world. But there is also life in the spiritual sense of being born into another world, which Jesus referred to as the Kingdom of God. It was to this spiritual world that Solomon referred in saying that God has planted eternity in the human heart. We perceive that seed of eternity. We sense that we are more than flesh and bone. Our hearts long for things unseen. When we don’t connect with the eternal, the invisible, the result is despair.

This greater story begins with God’s unconditional love for each one of us. He wants us to love Him back, but didn’t create us to do so robotically. If love is given because there isn’t a choice, it isn’t truly love. Rather, He gave man free will to choose.

Sadly, man chose to go his own way, rebelling against God, which resulted in immediate spiritual death and eventual physical death. The relationship with God was broken.

The results of that choice affected everything about people, animals, and the earth itself. Our world began to degenerate into an increasingly disordered state which continues until today. The evil we see around us is because sin (rebellion against God) entered and has had its effects over the centuries. Everything in our world has been plunged into a darkness that keeps us from seeing the Kingdom of God and that has imposed on us oppressive feelings of hopelessness.

In spite of this, God continued to love us; but He could not re-establish a relationship with us in the condition we were in. The dramatic way He intervened demonstrates just how valuable we each are to Him.

The Scripture tells us that when Jesus entered our world the people who sat in darkness saw a great light…a light shined on those who lived in the land where death casts it shadow. He urged people to turn back to God because the Kingdom of God was near.

Jesus’ mission was to pay the price of death that justice demanded for our rebellion. He willingly gave His life so that we could live. He rose from the dead, opening the way for any who would receive His offer of eternal life to have it. It is an offer to re-establish the unhindered relationship that people had with God at the beginning. We are now able to connect with the eternal, invisible, soul-filling Creator. We are now able to counter the dark voices of futility.

God’s Spirit calls us to receive His forgiveness of sin through Jesus and to begin a new life in His kingdom. Do you hear Him? Do you hear how much He loves you? Can you fathom the price He paid for you? Can you imagine stepping out of darkness and despair into light and joy?

As King Solomon said, you will not see the scope of everything from beginning to end. What you will see is the seed of eternity which He has planted in your heart grow into a tree of life as you step into God’s story.

Have you opened your heart and let Jesus give you life that is truly life?

There are so many times when my prayers are simply slipping notes of requests under the door of God’s sanctuary. I might send a memo to thank Him for all He has done and to praise Him for His glory. But I don’t enter. The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews tells us to come boldly and with confidence to God’s throne. The door is open. The way was made available when Jesus died on the cross to give us access to the Father. For whatever our reasons, we sometimes just hang around outside the sanctuary.

In Psalm 63, David describes what compels him in prayer. David’s psalms are full of requests. He gave the Lord more than the average share of “notes”. But his heart was to enter.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. So, I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

The dry and parched land that David mentions is not the topography of his country, but the landscape of his heart. We do find things that quench our thirst and water that landscape. Before long, though, the dryness returns. David knew that entering God’s sanctuary in prayer was what he needed. There is a desperation in David’s statement that his soul clings to God.

Meditating on God’s attributes, His mighty works, and His promises, is the substance of this kind of prayer. It was when he entered God’s santuary that he encountered God’s power, glory, and love. The realization of the greatness of God is brought into focus and spills out of his heart and mouth in praise.

As you wrap your mind around the mystery called prayer, remember God’s invitation to enter. Meditate on truths about God, draw near to Him; He promises that when you do, He will draw near to you.

How has the Lord helped you to draw near to Him in prayer?

Have you ever been swimming at the beach and glanced toward the shore to find your towel gone from sight? Even though you thought that you were swimming close to where you entered the water, the gentle pull of water currents gradually led you away without you having any sense that it was happening. Because those currents sometimes strengthen into dangerous rip tides or ‘undertows’, authorities will post different color flags along popular beaches to alert swimmers of the water conditions. Ignoring a red flag is a foolish risk of one’s life.

In a similar fashion, the Bible hoists a warning flag, alerting us to anything that will lead us away from our sincere and pure devotion to Christ. Of course, blatant and willful sin takes us off course in a dramatic fashion; but it is the gradual, often unnoticed drifting that takes us where we didn’t intend to go.

What is challenging about this, as opposed to willful sin, is that many of these currents are good things in themselves. They may even be things that God Himself has led us to. At some time, however, our affections and attention drift from God and our devotion to Him, to a devotion to what we are doing for Him.

An example might be a call to ministry. How easily we can become infatuated with serving God in ministry and our hearts are carried away by its currents, to a place where we obtain our value and purpose from the ministry itself, instead of from God who has called us to the ministry. Maybe our passion is for our career or for championing a social justice issue. It could be our efforts to take care of family or help the needy. In whatever arena we may be involved, each individual encounters the currents of passion for their calling that can consume their hearts, squeezing out (or at least deflecting) our passion for God.

Paul identifies a source of the undertow when he writes, “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3)

This verse comes in the context of the danger of false teachers, but the truth that the Evil One is cunning in how he leads us astray is relevant for the topic. We, however, are more than equipped by God to maintain our pure and sincere devotion to Christ. This is not a call to give up the things we are involved with, but simply to assess their place in our hearts.

A few things to consider:

• David prayed, “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

Knowing how easily the affections of my heart can divide, this is a prayer I like to pray often.

• Paul says, “’I have the right to do anything,’ you say — but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’ — but I will not be mastered by anything.”

I have to ask and honestly answer the question, ‘Is this good thing mastering me?’

• Jesus says, “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place — unless you repent.”

Jesus commends the deeds and hard work of these people. He applauds their adherence to good doctrine. He acknowledges their perseverance in opposition. Clearly, though, this is a call to repentance. Repentance means to turn around. To return to the opening illustration, we need to go back to our spot on the beach.

What good thing might be causing your heart to drift from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ?

Transitioning from one chapter of our lives to the next can be rough. Change introduces an element of insecurity because our lives are in the process of being redefined. Everything that was solid begins to move.

The gap between what I know and what God knows is the space where anxiety rises up. It’s not that what is coming on the other side of a transition is unknown, it is simply unknown to me. An easy shift of thinking makes all the difference in my peace and security. The shift revolves around a question: With whom does the burden of arriving safely at the new thing lie?

Those of us who are ‘fixers’ and ‘planners’ naturally carry the burden. In my heart, the whispers that often come in the midst of my anxiety are those of a steady voice saying, “Follow me.” Since God knows where He is taking me, it makes sense that He intends to lead me there; giving wisdom, providing resources, removing obstacles, imparting comfort; all divinely scheduled to work out according to His perfect time.

There are three powerful essentials to think about and act upon as we face change and uncertainty: Our source of comfort, our willingness to surrender, and our commitment to wait.

Comfort comes through faith.

In the 23th Psalm, David declares to his Shepherd that he is ‘comforted’ by His rod and staff. In Philippians 2, Paul appeals to the ‘comfort’ we receive from Christ’s love. The picture that comes into focus is this:

Faith in God’s protection (rod), trust in God’s leading and care for us along the way (staff), and assurance of Christ’s love that extends over us in every circumstance of life, are our sources of comfort in the midst of change.

Allow your heart and mind to meditate on these truths so that they become powerful weapons against fear and worry.

As faith brings us comfort, so surrender brings us peace.

To be clear, surrender does not mean giving up. It is not defeat to an enemy. It is stepping into God’s care with no strings attached; no conditions, no demands. In us is the propensity to design our future. The drive to control how things look on the other side of a transition causes incredible amounts of stress. Surrendering to God is astonishingly freeing. The burden shifts from me to Him.

Finally, in facing change and uncertainty, we must intentionally wait.

That might seem obvious, I but want to draw attention to the difference between active waiting and passive. When we wait because we have no choice, because the circumstances demand it, that is passive. It is happening to us. But waiting becomes a powerful essential when our waiting is intentional.

The most obvious element of intentional waiting is to not rush into decisions. There is more. Intentional waiting means listening for our Shepherd’s voice…”he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

We wait and listen during time spent in the Bible, in prayer, among believers, and with godly counselors. Prayer during intentional waiting includes more than asking. It is our opportunity to declare our trust in Him and to thank Him ahead of time for what will be.

As faith brings comfort and surrender brings peace, so waiting brings confidence; confidence that we are heeding that steady voice that says, “Follow Me.”

How has God helped you to overcome anxiety during change and uncertainty?

Memory is a powerful thing. It’s not just a recollection of facts, but a storehouse of emotions. Pondering our past has the power to chain us or to free us, making it vital to evaluate how we deal with our past and its emotions. Doing so can help us in significant ways to flourish in the present and propel us into the future.

Consider these four tendencies and how they might affect us in the present:

Pining for the ‘good old days’ — If we have had a season or seasons in our lives that were especially gratifying, then the remembrance of them makes us smile. Understanding that life does in fact have seasons, means that we sometimes find ourselves in winter instead of spring. How easily those joyful memories can turn bitter, if we concentrate on our current lack of what used to be. From there it is just an easy heart-step to grumbling and battling the feeling that our best days are behind us.

Relying on past experiences for our present flourishing — In a similar vein, we have stored memories of great accomplishments. There may be mighty things that the Lord did through us in the past that have had a wonderful impact. If we’re not careful, what should elicit motivation to continue to labor hard for the Lord, can instead make us lazy, as though our work is done and we can now coast.

Blaming our past for our present choices — There are inevitably parts of our past that are not pleasant to remember; even painful. These might be offenses done against us or difficulties that we passed through. Sometimes it’s the things not done that should have been. All of those experiences impact us and with time, we are left with the choice to allow our past to determine who we are in character and what we do in deed…or not. The alternative is to rely on God’s powerful Spirit to teach and enable us to walk in new patterns of behavior and to transform our character into that of a new person.

Maintaining guilt over sins committed — Guilt is a function of our conscience. When we do something wrong, feelings of remorse are like the warning lights on a car dashboard, letting us know that something needs to be fixed. In the case of a car, once the faulty part is repaired, the warning light goes off. For us, however, even once we have confessed and been restored, we sometimes allow the warning light of guilt to continue to blink at us. It is difficult to flourish when we can’t move on with the assurance that when Jesus died to pay for our sins, that sin of ours was included too.

In fact, all that God has done for us through Christ is one of the primary good things that we should ponder about our past. The Apostle John, writing to the church in Sardis, said, “Remember… what you have received and heard…hold it fast.” Throughout the Scripture, the prophets have recited for the people the mighty acts of God in their history in order to remind them that God is still the same and will be faithful in the present and in the future.

Think back about your life. Where have you seen the goodness of God? What are the lessons He has taught you along the way that you can bring to bear in your current situation? Ponder God’s faithfulness to you in the past and His presence with you today. He wants to give you fresh experiences of His goodness and the assurance that because He will never leave you, your tomorrows have so much in them to look forward to.

As you ponder your past, can you identify things that are keeping you from flourishing today? What remembrances of God’s faithfulness to you personally can you recall can be packed in the bag of things to bring into your tomorrows?

For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition. (1 Corinthians 16:18)

Webster defines the word refresh to mean: to revive, restoring strength; to replenish, in terms of supply; to run water over or restore water to reinvigorate. That last phrase makes me think of the Peace Lily in my living room.

It is a beautiful plant and easy to care for because I don’t have to guess when it needs water. Its leaves begin to visibly droop. I simply respond to its change in appearance by watering it and, remarkably, within a short time, the plant seems to lift its arms again, having been replenished. There have been times when I would return from having been out of town to find a totally withered plant. I wondered if it was dead because the leaves were completely slumped down the sides of the pot. But sure enough, the water I gave it traveled up the roots to the branches and the leaves, and they perked up returning to their former beauty.

The analogy to people is obvious. Life’s responsibilities can drain us of strength and resolve. Discouragements, disappointments, and opposition…or, on the positive side, the many needs we seek to meet while helping others, while serving the Lord, can from time to time leave us drooping, withered, and spent. It’s a precarious place to be, because our will to persevere in doing good can wane and it becomes easy to let down our spiritual guard.

Refreshing others is a great service of love. It is unselfish giving for the welfare of another. It requires the sensitivity to even notice that someone needs reviving and replenishing, and then the willingness to be the one through whom the refreshing comes. The Apostle Paul’s friend, Philemon, was such a person. Paul recognized that in him and wrote, “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement,because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.”

How can we become like Philemon, known as people who refresh others? Consider these few suggestions:

Hospitality– In some cultures, hospitality brings to mind fine china and a vigorously-cleaned house. Sadly, then, the lack of those things can keep us from being hospitable in the way that was meant by the Apostle John when he wrote to a friend of his,

… you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out….We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

It is simply a willingness to share what we have in order to make someone else comfortable. It may be food, a bed, or a safe place to talk and process their experiences and challenges. Hospitality encourages and promotes physical, mental and emotional rest.

Encouragement– This comes in many forms. Certainly among them is to affirm the weary person’s character and performance. To discern the source of discouragement and applaud the positive things that a worn person may not have the sight to notice. Encouragement is most meaningful when it comes in the form of sharing a truth of Scripture that applies directly to the person’s situation. When we are tired and spent, we are prone to see more darkness than light. Shining the light of God’s Word into a person’s heart can help that person’s thinking and focus to recalibrate. Encouragement promotes spiritual rest.

Bearing burdens– There is such empowerment in knowing that we are not alone in our battles. Having a friend who is weeps when we weep and rejoices when we rejoice gives us courage and strength. Praying for and with a person who is running on fumes helps them to reconnect with the ultimate source of their strength and rest.

Presence– Sometimes, it is simply our presence that refreshes another, especially when our own lives are exuding faith and joy. Faith and joy are contagious. Have you ever been around someone who is having a good belly-laugh? It is almost impossible not to laugh even if you don’t know what is funny! It is true that a cheerful heart is good medicine.

Refreshing by our presence needs some discernment, however, because sometimes it is the constant presence of people that wears us down. So, this is more of an invitation to enjoy one another without an agenda. The Apostle Paul was anxious to go to Rome so that he might be refreshed in their company.

We aren’t substitutes for God whose presence and encouragement is the fountain of the restorative waters that refresh us. But He sends us to be His agents of refreshing, and in so doing become workers together for the truth.

What things have others have done for you that have refreshed you? In what ways has God used you to refresh others?

Among the most difficult feelings for people to bear, is the feeling of being judged. There are few of us who haven’t been victims of this kind of assault. Whether by words, body language, attitudes, or actions, receiving someone else’s condescending disapproval cuts our hearts like a knife.

It is distressing to realize that when it comes to judging others, we are not only the victims, but are also inclined to be the offenders. There are safeguards which, with God’s help, enable us to be gracious in our dealings with our fellow-flawed human beings. The first safeguard is just that; the acknowledgement that, no matter how errant someone else’s behavior or character seems to us, we are equally (though perhaps differently) flawed.

One of the most poignant parables that Jesus told during His teaching ministry, involved a man who had great confidence in his own ‘perfection’ and belittled everyone else. He was not shy, even in his prayers, to proclaim his own virtues and point out the faults of his neighbor. The prayer of the second man in Jesus’ story, was simply this: “Oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” It was this second man who God commended. We have no excuse, God tells us, we who pass judgment on someone else, “for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” (Romans 2:1)

This first safeguard simply involves being honest with ourselves about the fact that without God’s generous forgiveness, we have no hope of being faultless ourselves. Everyone has sinned, falling short of God’s perfect standard, and that everyone includes me.

The second safeguard is to aggressively pursue compassion. It was Jesus’ compassion for the people that moved Him to help them. To have compassion is to care, be concerned, sensitive, and tender. We don’t know what others have experienced or are going through. Compassion doesn’t mean excusing bad behavior, but seeing beyond the behavior to the person. It is an attitude that communicates love. Love covers a multitude of sins.

Finally, grasping the full meaning of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount concerning judging, not only provides the third safeguard from judging others, but also equips us to be a blessing to them:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1–5)

This instruction encourages us to make a distinction between judging and restoring. It is not that we don’t interact with others concerning something harmful in their lives. Absence of judging does not mean ignoring a problem. What we must avoid is the kind of judging that condems, punishes, and tears down. This sort of negative judgment displays to others how much better we think we are.

There is, by contrast, a positive judging; which has as its goal, the welfare of the other. It is seeing a speck of sawdust in our brother’s eye that we know will cause him harm and being willing to help him remove it. To ignore it would not be loving at all.

It is a delicate procedure to remove a speck from someone’s eye and so absolutely essential that we see clearly before even approaching the operation. The plank in our own eye will cause more damage to the one we’re trying to help and actually wound that struggling person. If it is our sincere desire to build up and restore, we will do so with humility and gentleness.

The third safeguard, then, is to evaluate if my attitude is to put down or to pick up, to condemn or to act for another’s welfare; not because I’m better, but because with humility and in compassion, I want to be a blessing.

Are there other ways that you have found effective to keep yourself from judging others?

Have you ever wondered about persisting in prayer when the answer has not yet come? Have you questioned why God encourages us to keep asking? On the surface of it, it seems futile. Did He not hear me the first time? Is it that I have to talk Him into answering my request? Even Jesus taught that the Father knows what we need before we ask Him.

Jesus told two stories about persistent prayer. One was a story of a guest arriving unexpectedly at someone’s house. The host went to his neighbor at midnight, asking for some bread and continued to knock until he got what he needed. The second concerned a widow’s repeated plea to a judge for protection from her opponent. In both cases, the determination to keep asking came from understanding that there was no one else to help.

Prayer is so much more than the words we say. By our very persistence, we demonstrate our determination to return to the Source. It expresses our belief that there is no supply for what we need other than God. He is not one of several possibilities for how the thing might work out. We go back to Him again and again because there is no other place to go and because we are convinced that it is out of His abundance that we will receive.

The faith and dependency that our willingness to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking communicates, draws us closer to the heart of God. It illustrates what it means to abide in Christ. We live there, we dwell there at the source. As far as the answers to our prayers, they will come. While we wait, let’s persist in prayer and stay connected to our source of life.

In what ways has persistent prayer been meaningful to you in your relationship with God?