03/01/2022
TRAVAIL TO PREVAIL
Psalm 5:2 says, “Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray.”
In short, David is saying, “Oh God, please listen!” As in pregnancy, there is travail before the blessing. The same holds true in prayer: We must persevere, as some strongholds and many blessings are only wrought through gut-wrenching, soul-searching prayer. When we travail in prayer, God hears the cries of His children. Don’t you, as a parent, run outside when you hear your children crying for help? Travail tells God that this is important … that it matters to you … that you will do whatever it takes to see the prodigal come home, the marriage restored, or the healing take place. No, I don’t believe that God heals everyone, but I do believe that travailing prayer goes a lot further than lifeless prayer. “It is only when the whole heart is gripped with the passion of prayer that the life-giving fire descends, for none but the earnest man gets access to the ear of God” (E. M. Bounds). When prayer becomes the priority of the day, your whole life is energized. Again, you must travail before you prevail.
