{"id":2643,"date":"2020-08-18T15:14:40","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T20:14:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/?p=2643"},"modified":"2022-01-10T21:35:59","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T03:35:59","slug":"dont-loose-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/?p=2643","title":{"rendered":"Don&#8217;t Lose Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0860-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2651\" srcset=\"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0860-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0860-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0860-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0860-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0860-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0860-624x468.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides the prayer scene from the Apocalypse recorded in Revelation 8:1-5, what else do you need to encourage you to pray? Maybe Jesus&#8217; example?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus\u2019 practice was to go be alone with the Father and pray. The disciples saw how it changed Him or affected Him, and said to Him, \u201cTeach us to pray.\u201d He gave them a model prayer we call &#8220;The Lord&#8217;s Prayer.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And he told them a parable about prayer\u2014about a poor widow crying out to a wicked judge, who granted her request because of persistence, so they \u201cwould always pray, and not lose heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0863-2-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2652\" srcset=\"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0863-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0863-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0863-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0863-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0863-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0863-2-624x468.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Notice Jesus prayer &#8220;for deliverance&#8221; and &#8220;of submission&#8221; in the garden with his <em>sleeping friends<\/em>. Notice his prayer to Father before raising Lazarus from the dead. Notice his prayer of thanksgiving upon the return of the seventy disciples and their reports of spiritual exploits and spiritual authority poured out on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note Jesus in prayer. Follow his examples. Follow his lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note when he prayed prayers of mercy for the likes of us, &#8220;Father forgive them, they know not what they do.&#8221; Notice when he answered prayers for mercy like those of blind Bartimaeus in Jericho, &#8220;Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.\u201d (Mark 10:46-52)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a skill you learn by practice as you go your way; it&#8217;s an art form; it&#8217;s a simple heart cry. It&#8217;s individual to you. It&#8217;s not complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7288-2-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2653\" srcset=\"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7288-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7288-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7288-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7288-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7288-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7288-2-624x468.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>But it&#8217;s done! It must be prayed. That\u2019s the main thing. Often and much. It demonstrates humility and worship. It fosters relationship and knowing the King \u2013 to Whom you pray &#8212; and Him knowing you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can almost hear Jesus as He said, &#8220;My sheep hear My voice, and I know them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So pray! It pleases him. He delights in the prayers of his people, the upright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s the most important communication in your earth experience, to know and be known \u2014 by Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7290-2-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2654\" srcset=\"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7290-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7290-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7290-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7290-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7290-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_7290-2-624x468.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m quite certain prayer is an important piece of the 2020 puzzle. Prayerlessness is in large measure what got us into this present darkness. Prayer will be key to getting us out! Certainly personally, and also for our families, our friends, our churches, and perhaps our nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t lose heart!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pray!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0859-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0859-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0859-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0859-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0859-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0859-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0859-624x468.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe does what\u2019s best for those who fear him\u2014<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;hears them call out, and saves them.\u201d Psalm 145:19 MSG<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Zp6aygmvzM4?t=53\">The Blessing<\/a>\u201d from a good God, Who hears and answers prayer\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Besides the prayer scene from the Apocalypse recorded in Revelation 8:1-5, what else do you need to encourage you to pray? Maybe Jesus&#8217; example? Jesus\u2019 practice was to go be alone with the Father and pray. The disciples saw how it changed Him or affected Him, and said to Him, \u201cTeach us to pray.\u201d He [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10,9,11],"tags":[154,21,95,65],"class_list":["post-2643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-friendoftheking","category-be-a-leader","category-be-a-man","category-understanding-our-times","tag-154","tag-jesus","tag-prayer","tag-spiritual-disiplines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2643"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2658,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643\/revisions\/2658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}