“But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord”
(I Corinthians 15:57-58).
As followers of Jesus, we should all know something about prayer—that wonderful communication between us and the lover of our souls. We have experienced repentance (a few times), and we appreciate the privilege of talking to our best friend on a daily basis as we pray and tell Him our concerns, and give Him praise.
“Steadfast in prayer”; what does that mean? According to Webster’s Dictionary, “steadfast” means firmly fixed in place, immovable; not subject to change, firm in belief, determination, or adherence; very devoted to or loyal to a person, belief, or cause.” By this definition, how steadfast are we about prayer?
A big decision is coming up: “Should I go to college? Where?” “Is he the right guy to date or marry?” “Do I need to go into debt for this car?” “Should we move to that city with this new job offer?” “Is this promotion for the good of my family and spiritual life?”
All our efforts to answer life’s questions are spent in sleepless nights of fretting and worry, countless hours on the phone, or days on Google and Facebook. We talk about these perplexing problems with friends, family, and even spiritual leaders, but our prayers give them a sentence or two of notice.
Our loyalty and fixed determination to put prayer as the top priority for making decisions about life needs to be born in each of us. Why? Because God cares, He notices everything that goes on in our daily lives and wants to help us with every decision and choice. Too many times, God hears a bit from us about what we have decided to do, and we ask for His approval AFTER we have already decided. God should never be someone we just inform of our decisions. That is not steadfast prayer.
Paul reminded us in I Corinthians 15:57 that our victory comes through Jesus. It does not come by telling Him about the choices we have already made. It comes when we steadfastly put HIM first. Talk to Him about the choices before us. He already knows, and He truly cares. His answer will be the best one possible. His direction will lead us down the path that is best for our souls to follow. His love will hold us close and make this decision to be “steadfast in prayer” one of the most valuable ever made.
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