Yesterday I was listening to an interview with a writer. He started submitting to a fantasy magazine when he was 14. His submission and the next ten he sent were all rejected. At 17, his eleventh submission was published. It was the start of his career in writing. What he said next in the interview really stood out to me. If the first attempt had succeeded and the next story he wrote had been rejected he would probably have given up on writing. He believes that having to keep trying and improving made the difference. The early rejections keep him motivated to continue, which not only improved his skill as a writer, he grew as a person.
Perseverance helped develop his character and focused his dreams. Paul says something similar in Romans, “…we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3b-4). We’re into the second week of our 50 Days of Prayer. The initial excitement and motivation have worn off. We continue with prayer daily, not because we always feel like it, we continue because we know it matters. We trust that God is faithful even when we aren’t seeing instant answers. We know that God is listening and answering and the act of prayer is growing and developing us and our relationship with God. And we believe that God is on the move.
This Week’s Prayer Focus:
God, is there something in which I specifically need to remain persistent? Or is there something I used to do or pray about that you want me to continue?
Prayer Events Happening This Week:
March 17 -10:00 am – Pre-Service Prayer
Sunday, March 17 – 6:00 pm -Listening Prayer Meeting