During an intense season of prayer for our younger son, I wore a locket that held two tiny phrases: “only by Your power” (Psalm 44:3), and “only by prayer” (Mark 9:29). The weight of that necklace against my chest reminded me to pray with hope. In the account of Mark 9, a distraught father receives his heart’s desire: Jesus heals the man’s son.
Would I dare to hope in God’s power for the same?
Another parent in the Gospels, a Canaanite mother, drew me with her grit. She cried after Jesus, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” When Jesus appeared unmoved, she kneeled and repeated, “Lord, help me!” Jesus explained that He had come first to meet the needs of God’s people, Israel. But the woman was undeterred. She begged for crumbs. Jesus gave her a feast in answer to her faith. “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (See Matthew 15:21-28.)
Would I dare to persist in asking with my soul laid bare?
Whatever your heartache, keep praying. You don’t know the end of the story. Charles Spurgeon encouraged, “Never must we cease to pray until they cease to breathe. No case is hopeless while Jesus lives.”
ACTION: What difficult or impossible request is on your mind today? What phrase would help you pray for that request in faith? How does the Canaanite mother encourage you to persevere in prayer? What would God want you to know if your situation has ended in death and not life?
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