A Sojourner's Quest

PA RT I V: P E R S E V E R I NG F O R T H E L ONG H A U L / 2 8 7

and beg him to advance his Kingdom through his people. Let us begin with a passion to grasp hold of all that we have been grasped for, and to seek his divine visitation upon the cities of America and the world. Only if our Risen and Conquering Lord comes to us and to his church can we see the kind of spread of the Gospel and harvest of souls that we so desperately desire. Only if he comes with power can we see the changes we seek. Let him first come upon us, his people, and then upon the world. Our only hope is that he would revive us again – to love him, to turn our backs on our idols, to be cleansed from our sin, to be released to new ministry for God. Let God arise, and (if he does) we will be revived again. Never Stop Praying One of the clearest and most helpful disciplines in effective intercession is to keep praying. For all sorts of reasons, you may find it quite easy to fail to pray. We get busy, we become inundated with details and work activities, and we simply lose our focus on time spent actually praying. It goes without saying that if you fail to actually pray and make your requests known to God, it will be difficult to expect him to answer them! As you grow in your ability to seek the face of God, nothing will become more clear to you than the need to just keep praying, to never cease praying, to set aside time to pray! In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul enjoins these believers essentially to keep their minds and hearts continually fixed on the Lord. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5.16-18 [ESV]). Note how Paul tells the Thessalonians to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all circumstances. Culti- vating this attitude of prayer can enable us to not only keep the Lord continually before us, but also make us more faithful in sustaining our set-aside appointments with the Lord in our prayer closets. Set aside regular times of prayer to share with the Lord your heart and needs. Morning, evening, and at noon seem to be the times that David set apart for praying with the Lord (cf. Ps. 55.17 [ESV] – Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.) Join with others for short, intense, and focused times of prayer and intercession, praying for one another and for the needs of the city.