One of my favorite songs by Matthew West is Don’t Stop Praying.
The chorus lyrics repeat,
Don’t stop praying
Don’t stop calling on Jesus’ name
Keep on pounding on Heaven’s door
And let your knees wear out the floor
Don’t stop believing
‘Cause mountains move with just a little faith
And your Father’s heard every single word you’re saying
So, don’t stop praying…
The lyrics go on to speak of praying for the prodigal, the miracle, for addictions to end, sickness healed and His power revealed.
Listen, I am all about praying for myself and I need it all day long. Only God knows all that I need from Him. But loving our neighbor is what we are commanded to do and there are countless ways to love our neighbors – praying for them is one of those ways.
We can love and listen, guide and give, and we can soothe and support, but at the end of the day our human abilities to love our neighbors don’t compare to God’s desire and ability to provide and protect them. That’s when we pound on heaven’s door on their behalf because His love is perfect. His understanding of our needs is perfect. His forgiveness is of a depth that we can not fathom.
Have you ever been so deep in the middle of heartache, anger, or just at a loss for what to do in a personal situation? So have your neighbors – so are your neighbors. I’ve heard it said that we are always in some state of a storm in our lives. It is either brewing, happening, or it is dying down. I can’t think of a single season in my life where everything has been exactly like I needed or wanted it to be. And looking back, I can see that usually the problem was that I was not who I needed or wanted to be. And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that when I didn’t know what to pray, someone else did, and if they didn’t they just prayed for God to move on my behalf.
And His power would be revealed.
So, let’s not stop praying for ….
The momma begging for an hour of uninterrupted sleep.
The dad headed out to chase the dream – the almighty dollar that he believes will him and his family all of the ‘happiness’.
Those anxiously pacing, waiting on answers.
Those having family dinner in individual spaces.
Those with droughts in the checkbook and famines in the fridge.
For the addiction to change from the need for one more hit to a desire to feast on God’s word.
Pray for a deeper knowledge, a greater understanding of His will and spiritual growth. Pray to see Him among the 1,000 pokes a day from Satan. Pray to let us see His work and His beauty and fulfillment in our lives vs. the lies of chasing the man made dream. Pray to have His joy vs. the drudgery Satan leads us to and attempts to trap us with.
Don’t stop praying
Don’t stop calling on Jesus’ name
Keep on pounding on Heaven’s door
And let your knees wear out the floor
Don’t stop believing
‘Cause mountains move with just a little faith
And your Father’s heard every single word you’re saying
So, don’t stop praying…
Never stop praying. 1 Thessalonians 5:17