Romans 12:12 (NKJV)

“rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer”

There’s prayer and there’s stedfast prayer. For those who pray erratically, they cannot reap the harvest of prayer. However, there are those who are “stedfast in prayer,” to whom prayer has become a lifestyle; unto such, they will reap the harvest of steadfastness. NLT says they, “keep on praying.” Steadfastness in prayer means we continue in prayer; we don’t stop and we don’t give up. Too many of us start and stop. Too many of us pray occasionally and are quickly distracted and discouraged when results do not come as quickly as expected.

From the verse above, we see that three things are connected namely, “rejoicing in hope, patience in tribulation and steadfastness in prayer.” We cannot keep rejoicing even when all we have is hope and we cannot be patient when we are in the heat of persecution and trials, if we are not people who are first stedfast in prayers. For the continually praying man and woman, God releases grace to keep rejoicing even when it seems there’s nothing to rejoice about. To such a man, he can sing in prison and even in great agony of tribulations, he remains patient. These are the products of the consistently praying life. If we need grace for each circumstance, we need to grow in the life of consistent prayers. There’s no other way.

“Lord, I pray but I am not consistent in it. I plead with You to strengthen me on the inside so that I can grow in this. In Jesus name. Amen.”