How to Hang On in Prayer
By Lynette Kittle
“You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” - John 14:14
There it was finally available in my online shopping cart after weeks, which had turned into months of checking and rechecking to see if it was available, fueled by my face like flint (Isaiah 50:7), don’t give up, kind of faith.
Although some may roll their eyes and discount my quest as a highly unspiritual, worldly, frivolous, and unimportant kind of thing to pray about; highly resistant to the notion that a backpack purse could be an acceptable thing to even pray about; I’m going to risk their scorn by writing I knew God had answered my prayers the minute I saw it reappear in my cart.
Some may think I crossed a line and went too far in wanting this bag, but it had become more than something I just wanted. It became a training course of learning how not to give up in prayer, of not letting go, or losing hope when things look improbable.
Completely Sold Out
Sold out for months, here it was available again and I was certain it was because I had prayed, hung on, and refused to remove it from my cart, even talking to the bag online at one point in my effort to follow Jesus’ instructions to talk to the mountain (Mark 11:23).
Sounds far fetched, yet look what finally happened after literally months of not letting go. Still for a brief flash of a moment, surprised to see it available again, my heart was tempted to wonder if my eyes were seeing correctly, or if it was just an online shopping mirage.
Likewise the story thickens as immediately after ordering it, I tried to order another one, not because I wanted two bags, but just to see how many bags were available. But when I tried to order a second one it was sold old, with no more available.
Back-Story of a Bag
It started when the bag was originally available, marked down to clearance price. I hesitated in ordering it and ended up missing out on it. Then the enemy taunted me about it, trying to convince me I had lost my opportunity to buy it, that it was too late and I had missed my one and only opportunity. But the enemy is a liar (John 8:44) and his taunting backfired because it turned me to action.
In my disappointment, I turned to God for help and set out to prove the devil a liar. Some may say God doesn’t care about a backpack but He does care about me. His Word says He gives us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4), and also to ask anything in His name (John 14:14), so I did. Others say not to take what Jesus said literally, but He said it and He knew how people would take it to heart. God doesn’t limit us in our asking but gives us room to grow.
Believing God over the Devil
So the challenge began of believing God over the devil. During my waiting I kept praying the online store wouldn’t remove it from my cart like they usually do once items are sold out. Remarkably as month after month passed by, the bag remained in my cart.
So when I routinely checked my cart as I did on regular basis, there it was showing up as available to order. I knew in that instance it meant more than an item just reappearing. It was God encouraging me to not give up in prayer even when it looked like all opportunity was lost, to keep praying, keep confessing God’s Word, and keep looking with expectation for His answer.
Now when I grab my new bag for an outing, it’s so much more than a wished for item, it’s a reminder to not give up in prayer. It’s God confirming what His Word says is true, of how He hears my prayers and He answers. “And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him,”(1 John 5:15).
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Is there is something you’re believing God for in your life, a hope, or a dream much bigger than a bag? If so, be encouraged to not give up, but rather to keep asking, keep confessing God’s Word, and keep looking with expectation for God to answer.
Further Reading:
4 Ways to Pray about Anything In Every Situation
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Lemon_tm
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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