Psalm 56:8-13 – “You keep track of my misery.  Put my tears in your leather container.  Are they not recorded in your scroll?  ⁹ My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; I know that God is on my side.  ¹⁰ In God—I boast in his promise—in the Lord—I boast in his promise—¹¹ in God I trust; I am not afraid.  What can mere men do to me?  ¹² I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God; I will give you the thank offerings you deserve, ¹³ when you deliver my life from death.  You keep my feet from stumbling, so that I might serve God as I enjoy life.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was reminded of a vital reality that comforted and challenged me.   

• Never give up on God!
• Never stop praying!
• Never stop hoping in God!

The Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent creator is alive, alert, and active.

This Psalm gives incredible insight that is both challenging and comforting. 

• God keeps track of our misery (wandering, trials, and struggles).
• God puts our tears in His leather container (wineskin, a container made from animal skin symbolic of sacrifice to God).
• God records them in His scroll?”

In verse 9, we read, “I know God is on my side.” In verse 11, “In God I trust; I am not afraid.” And in verse 13, “You (God) keep my feet from stumbling so that I might serve God AS I enjoy life.”

Please notice that the word serve is as in the daily pursuit of life, we are to serve God.  God is entwined in everything we are and do.  He is cognizant of every detail of our lives.    Knowing that truth makes prayer even more important and gives us a reason to persist in prayer.   God is aware, cares, and can do something about what we face.

I was drawn to Revelation 8 in this thought about God and prayer.  Repeatedly, we read in Revelation and elsewhere that the incense offered before the throne represents our prayers.  Prayer is not a one-time event.   Our prayers continually ascend before God’s throne as a fragrant incense.  He never ignores them, and decades, if not centuries later, they are still before Him. Praying for the lost is never a waste of time nor an exercise in futility.

I do not want to take this out of context, but to present an idea or principle about prayer.  In Revelation 8:3-5, something captured my thinking.  The angel was given a large amount of incense and the prayers of the saints that ascended before God.  He filled the censer with fire from the altar and threw it to the earth.

Here’s what I saw that I believe came from the Holy Spirit.  Our prayers release the fire of God in the earth, and that fire (energy of the Holy Spirit) stirs hearts.   So, never stop praying!  As long as there is breath in the body, do not give up hope!

God is releasing His fire while the devil is releasing his.  One fire purges the dross, and the other destroys.   One fire brings life, the other death.  Our prayers help release God’s fire and are a shield against the devil’s fire.  God is measuring His temple and purging the dross.

Remember that those we love are worth fighting for, so do not give up, give in, or give out in your prayers.   Release the fire!   Let God’s fire purge and purify us so we can pray effectively with fervency for the lost!  Hold to the command and commission to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, and thy will be done in heaven and on earth!  “

Never stop!   Prayer prevails.   Prayers continue until they are answered.  They are a fragrant aroma to God.  That prayer or those prayers you’ve prayed continually rise from God’s altar in heaven!  Don’t stop!  Victory is not a whimsical fantasy; it is God’s promise.

May God inspire us to persist in prayer and hold to His promises!    Have a fantastic day!