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By nature I have a bit of a restless personality. When I have free time my mind is always wandering around “what to do next?” And trying to find something to keep me occupied. Lately the Lord has been prompting me to use some of that time to just sit down and not do anything except be present with Him. Talking a little bit but mostly listening - for the sake of just being present with Him. The world won’t fall apart if I’m not getting some work done or even spending time with people. It’s never a waste of time to spend time alone with my First Love when I’m able, though it may not look or feel productive to everyone else.  And Jesus had that heart too (Luke 5:16).

And a very similar to this picture (of calming down from all my outward actions to rest in the Lord), the Lord has also been calming me down with regard to pulling back from the “work” of trying to control circumstances and people, and having me rest by leaning on prayer alone.

Sometimes God leads us to take some action or speak some word which changes a situation instantly - like the blind man who washed his eyes in the pool, or the paralyzed man who picked up his mat and walked. But other times I’m seeing that there is no action at all He wants me to do except to trust: to pray and wait. And to pray and don’t give up.

George Muller prayed daily for over 50 years for a friend to be saved. I’m sure that he preached to this friend, and tried to convince him of the gospel. But after all of his convincing and preaching, and thinking "What should I say?" there was no fruit.  His friend didn't respond at all.  So he committed to pray daily.  Not for a month, or some months, or even a few years.  He committed to pray for as long as it takes, daily.

I’m sure that those daily prayers weren’t always perfect or long. But I believe he got to the point where he realized: “I cannot change my friend. But I will pray daily and not give up. Prayer will be my work for him from this point forward. Daily. For as long as it takes. Decades if needed.”

George Muller died and this man was still not saved. But do you know what happened after Muller died? The man was finally born again and saved! God answered.

Was it worth 50 years of daily prayer? These two brothers are together now in eternity and I believe that man is going to be expressing constant gratitude not for 50 years but for eternity to George Muller!

And this word: “Let prayer be your work” has come to me so powerfully. Instead of looking at all the things I have to do and say and plan to try to control circumstances or try to move God’s hand to work in someone’s life, I’ve come to the conclusion that “consistent prayer without giving up” is the one work that is best, and the one work that will last. It’s also the one work we can take no credit for but have to give God the glory.

AN EXAMPLE

Whenever I meet a person whose children are all older and following the Lord (late teens or godly young adults in their 20s), pretty much every time I get a chance I ask that person: “What was your secret? What did you do?” And I saw something amazing with all of them: as far as I can remember, every single person has answered me with exactly the same answer: “It wasn’t our work. We prayed for them.“

We know that we have to pray 24 hours a day, without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17). Most people do not practice that constant habit of listening to God and talking to Him. We need to have a life like that. But in addition to that, I believe we should also set aside times everyday to specifically pray for certain things. Usually early in the morning or late at night are the times I’m personally least likely to be interrupted. And it’s best to start the day and end the day with God. But for specific prayer burdens, consistency is the important thing - don't give up.  Pray constantly, specifically for a burden. I know some people who would pray during their full hour commute everyday, many of the same things each day.

Whatever it is, the point isn’t a length of time but that we have decided to take on a burden to pray for that we will not give up. And we say: “this is one important thing I will fight for in this life and so I will pray everyday for decades if needed, and prayer will be my work.”

We need not feel guilty if the prayer is short. Or if it’s not so many fancy words. The question is, did I pray with a burden? Even if it was just for 30 seconds. Did I put my heart into it and mean it? Jesus wasn’t against short prayers or even repetitive prayers, He didn’t say He was against repetitive prayers He said was against “meaningless” repetitive prayers (Matt 6:7). Some days we’ll feel the burden more than others. But I think of George Muller. Just keep going.

Just keep pressing on in prayer even if we feel nothing for that day. But faith is consistency. Faith continues when feelings go up and down.

George Muller, when he saw no fruit for his friend after evangelizing to him probably stopped asking, “what am I doing wrong? Is there something I should say to him?” Because he tried everything and realized it wasn’t his power but God’s that had to do the work. He stopped working himself and said, “Lord I’m just going to bring it to you now for however long it takes. I’m powerless, you have to do something.” This is what it means I believe to come to the rest of Hebrews 4. Canaan.  We stop asking, "what am I doing wrong?" and trying to think of what to do next - and instead we look to the Lord.

“For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬

“We don’t know anything, we’re powerless but we’re looking to you” - 2 Chronicles 20:12. Some things God wants us to take action on and He will work through that. But many things we are powerless and we just have to wait on the Lord in prayer.

Even Jesus came to this point with His disciples:

“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” John‬ ‭16‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭

Even Jesus saw that He had to not lean on His own works, but commit to pray for His disciples until the Holy Spirit came powerfully to do what even He could not do in person (John 16:7).

CONCLUSION

Dear brother/sister - if you have been trying to do something or accomplish which you believe is God’s will, perhaps for years, consider this: decide that from now on you will stop trying to push the circumstance yourself. Instead, you will step back and pray until God does something. You will commit to it even for years or decades until He does something.

And be patient. God's timing is usually slower than ours because He's doing a quality work. We try to push things faster and it's like pushing open rose petals before it's ready to bloom. It won't work. It'll ruin the rose in all of its beauty. Let the Lord choose the time - and let constant prayer be your work until then.

It doesn’t mean you won’t do anything. Perhaps He may lead you here and there to take some action. But really that is secondary. You’ve tried so many of your own actions in your own control and they haven’t worked. Zero fruit. It’s time to commit your plans to the Lord and pray.

“Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭

It says the Lord WILL do it.

Let prayer be your work.

Col 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer”

This has been one truth that has given me perhaps more rest than almost any other. Stop working and planning and controlling. Look to Jesus! Let prayer be your work from now on.  And Col 4:2 goes on to tell us also in faith give thanks while you do this work.

If I can't be thankful now while I'm waiting on the Lord, then I won’t be able to be thankful later when the Lord answers.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬

The Lord will do it. And when it’s done all glory will go to Him because you stopped working. It was all His doing.  And He's getting even more glory now by your pressing on in faith without seeing, than He will after the work is done and you praise Him then!

This is the power we have in Jesus to accomplish God’s will, to fight Satan’s work, to glorify God and shame the devil, and to bind things in Heaven and on earth.