ESOCS Devotional 23 August 2023: Pray Without Ceasing

ESOCS Devotional 23 August 2023 – Pray Without Ceasing

MEMORY VERSE: “…You who make mention of the Lord, keep not silent. And give Him no rest till He establish and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” Isaiah 62:6 & 7

TEXT: ISAIAH 62:6-12 (KJV)

I have set watchmen upon your walls, O Jerusalem, who will never hold their peace day or night; you who [are His servants and by your prayers] put the Lord in remembrance [of His promises], keep not silence,

⁷And give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her a praise in the earth.

⁸The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by His mighty arm: Surely I will not again give your grain as food for your enemies, and [the invading sons of] aliens shall not drink your new wine for which you have toiled;

⁹But they who have gathered it shall eat it and praise the Lord, and they who have brought in the vintage shall drink it [at the feasts celebrated] in the courts of My sanctuary (the temple of My holiness).

¹⁰Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Cast up, cast up the highway! Gather out the stones. Lift up a standard or ensign over and for the peoples.

¹¹Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the Daughter of Zion, Behold, your salvation comes [in the person of the Lord]; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work and recompense before Him.

¹²And they shall call them the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, a City Not Forsaken.

Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here

In Luke 18:1-8, our Lord told us a parable of a widow who was persistent in her request. She troubled an unjust judge to the extent that he had no option than to give her audience and grant her justice. In verse 7, our Lord said, “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?” Our Lord was teaching us a lesson from this parable: even the evil judge answered the widow and gave her justice in the end; God will definitely answer the prayers of people who pray continually without losing their faith, no matter how long it takes.

As Christians, we have the need to pray constantly, even if it seems that there is delay in answers to our prayers. Certain things should give us confidence when we pray, if we are true Christians: God loves us to the point that His only begotten Son should suffer the pain and shame on the cross for us. Therefore, He is willing to do every other good thing for us, including answering our prayers. When we ask for anything and there seems to be a delay, we should continue in our prayers, not doubting or murmuring. The word of God says: Do not keep silent and do not give Him rest until He establishes you and promotes you.

When we pray and God does not answer, it may be a sign that He is telling us something. He may be training us into Christian or spiritual maturity. At that point, we would begin to eat strong meat or solid food; and no longer drink milk. It may be that we have reached the level of spiritual maturity, at which point we should understand that what matters in our relationship with Him is not that He answers us and gives us what we ask for; but that we love Him with all our soul, no matter the condition we find ourselves (Heb. 5:12-14). This was the point the triumphant saints reached in their relationship with Him. The scripture says concerning them: “…they did not love their lives to the death” (Rev. 12:11). Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who said they would not worship any other god even if their God would not deliver them (Dan. 3:16-18), the triumphant saints did not love their lives but laid them down for their God.

Prayer is an important tool that is very helpful, if we want to live a successful Christian life. Our Lord prayed continually while He was here on earth. A life of prayer is very good and helpful, if we cultivate it as a habit or way of life. It is a means of communion with God. It keeps us close to Him. It makes us think of Him all the time. It is our medium of communication with Him.