[Tuesday's Devotional] - Pray Without Ceasing

Pray Without Ceasing "And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian." Luke 4:27 [NIV] These words spoken by Jesus give me hope when I feel discouraged to pursue the promises of God particularly when prayer seems in vain. Naaman, the Syrian Army General, had leprosy. Upon advice from his maid, he travelled all the way to Israel to see God's prophet Elisha. When Elisha promised Naaman that he would be cleansed of his leprosy if he dipped himself in the river Jordan seven times, Naaman didn't believe it. However, he eventually obeyed God's word after great persuasion by his aides. As he dipped himself in the dirty Jordan river the first, second and sixth time, Naaman did not receive his healing. He only got it after the seventh dip. What if he had stopped after the sixth dip? In Luke 18: 1 - 8, Jesus told his disciples a parable of a persistent widow to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He is telling you and me to continue praying for our needs and promises till they come to pass. As a soldier, I think one of the greatest characteristics of Naaman was endurance. I believe, it is only the persistent ones who will eventually win the race. When facing insurmountable challenges I often encourage myself with these thoughts. What if I pray then nothing happens? What if I pray, then something happens? Which of the two is better? Farai Mutsambiwa   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!