Why to Never Give Up On Prayer

Guest Post by Karen Friday

Wow! and Praise Jesus! took over my mind and settled in my soul as I rejoiced.

I cried happy tears over a long-awaited answer to a prayer I prayed over 5,000 times. Yes, you read that right—no typos or extra zeros.

You see, when my twin sister and I were little, our father disappeared from our life. My mom and stepfather took us to church, but we didn’t understand much about God or prayer. 

Along about fourth grade, my dad reappeared and wanted to be a part of my life again. I’ll never forget what he told me at nine-years-old, “People think there’s a God, but there’s not.” Not understanding it at the time, I knew later my dad was an atheist. 

This confused my young heart, wondering, Is God real and does He love me? Yet, I was in church and Sunday school class each week hearing about the God of the Bible.

Then something wonderful happened. At sixteen, both me and my sister prayed to receive Jesus Christ as Savior at a church revival. Sixteen turned out to be sweet after all.

That night, as I crawled into bed, I decided to pray daily for my father to believe in God and accept Christ. Even though I was a young Christian, I missed very few days praying for my dad. 

Soon I went off to college and continued to pray and asked others to pray. My husband and I met on campus and were both called into ministry. My dad knew what we believed and how our lives centered around the Lord.

But, I admit, my faith waned many times. My dad seemed hard-hearted and unreachable. So when I was a young woman, a mentor encouraged me to insert my father’s name into Scripture about salvation and pray it out loud. 

John 3:16, For God so loved Gene, that he gave his only Son, that if Gene believes in him, he will not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 10:13, If Gene calls on the name of the Lord, he will be saved.

And there were other Bible verses. I looked up as many as I could find and faithfully prayed them over my father. I still practice this idea. I have Scriptures on the wall behind my computer and around my desk with my name inserted in them about God’s love or His faithfulness. And I insert my loved ones names in Bible verses for specific needs, salvation and other.

It wasn’t Father’s Day, but what a wonderful father’s day it was! We were having a birthday party for my paternal grandmother at her nursing home. Dad approached me teary-eyed, “Karen, did you hear the news? I accepted Christ as my Savior.” 

I could hardly believe it! I was thirty-two. A sixteen-year prayer finally answered. Sixteen long and often impatient years to grow my faith in God and my firm belief in prayer.

So many times we underestimate the power of prayer to change situations and people...to change us. We move the spiritual world when we praise the Lord, recognize who God is, petition the Almighty, intercede for others, and speak God’s Word in prayer.

But sometimes our own thoughts, the enemy, or other people trick our heart into thinking God is holding out on us. Maybe a prayer went unanswered in how we wanted the situation to turn out. Perhaps we feel God didn’t come through for us in what we wanted to happen. Or, we’ve prayed for something so long, it seems impossible.

Yet, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tell us to pray without ceasing. And the power of prayer and what it accomplishes is seen in James 5:14-16, pray for the sick and for each other, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (verse 16, ESV).

And this passage is one of my favorites: 

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV, emphasis added).

What are you praying for? What aspect of God’s glorious riches do you currently need? Is it mercy, love, grace, peace, healing, comfort, strength, salvation for you or a loved one, or something else? What immeasurably more do you need now or in the future?

We pray to a God who is able to do immeasurably and abundantly more than we ever imagine in our human minds and limitations. Like a daughter’s prayer for her atheist dad’s salvation, prayed for sixteen years, and over 5,000 times.

Never, ever give up on prayer.

"Karen Friday is a pastor’s wife passionate about the local church, women’s ministry, speaking,
and sacred callings. Known as Girl Friday in the writing and blogging world, she founded the
award-winning, online community, Hope is Among Us at Karen Girl Friday. Karen is also an award-
winning author who has published devotions and articles, contributed to several anthologies and a
devotional, Dear Wife: 10 Minute Invitations to Practice Connection with Your Husband.
She writes monthly for A Wife Like Me, Inspire a Fire, and Soaring With Him while working on her
first nonfiction book. The Friday clan includes two grown children and two grandchildren.
The entire family is fond of the expression, “TGIF: Thank God it’s Friday.” They owe Monday an
apology. Connect with Karen on social media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn."

I encourage you to drop in on Karen Friday's hope-filled blog. You will be greatly encouraged
and truly blessed!

Thank you Karen for sharing this beautiful testimony about the power of unceasing prayer!

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