Do Not Lose Heart!

"Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart."  Luke 18:1

How often do our prayer times turn into a pity party? Have you ever experienced a prayer time turned into a heavy cloud of discouragement?  We take our care to the Lord but somewhere in that meeting time we begin to pour out complaints. The "prayer time" begins to be a lamentation of  the circumstance, the problem. The problem becomes the focus. The devil whispers lies in our ears. Yes, the devil will whisper to you in church and  in your prayer closet ! This opens the door wide open to the enemy of our souls. If we are not alert to the enemy's scheme, prayer time can become a point of entry for the devil to discourage us. When we become discouraged, we lose heart.

We are all prone to lose heart. If it were not so Jesus would not have instructed us to NOT lose heart. So how do I pray and not lose heart? The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. And what did Jesus say to this request?

Luke 11 gives us instructions about prayer. Jesus said to them in verse 2, "When you pray, say, Father, hallowed be thy name"

Matthew 6:9 records this answer to their request like this: " Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name" 

The key is to bring the issues that trouble us to God but the focus is on Our Father, who is in heaven, whose name we are to hallow. Hallow means to keep sacred, recognize that He is Almighty God. There is no one like Him. He is the All Powerful Creator and Sustainer of all life. It means to worship Him for Who He is! 

And when we begin our prayer, the only response to a Holy God is praise. David said in Psalm 34 " I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth."  

When we pray at all times, keeping it bathed in praise to the Lord, the devil can't hijack our requests and turn it into a pity party. When a believer views prayer as merely asking for things, he has completely misunderstood what biblical prayer is! 

Prayer is fellowship and conversation with the Lord. Prayer includes praise. Prayer is communication with a God who deserves all the honor and glory and praise! It means to honor and adore the Lord on earth as in heaven! Hallowed be Thy Name must be the backdrop of all that follows in that prayer! It keeps us in the right focus and mindset! 

When we pray as Jesus teaches, we guard against losing heart. We cannot lose heart as long as our focus is on Him!