Don’t Stop Praying

What is prayer?

A Google search reveals that “in Christianity, prayer is a way for people to communicate with God, and is considered central to the Christian life. It can be a two-way conversation where people both speak to and listen to God, and can be spoken, silent, or sung.”

PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7 KJV

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

Jesus, fully God and fully man, knew the importance of prayer. He wanted to keep that divine line of communication opened with His Father. By keeping His prayer life intact, Jesus set the perfect example of communicating with the Father. There is a song out sung by Matthew West titled, “Don’t Stop Praying”. 1

1. Jacob Arnold produced, composed, programmed, and played drums on Christian singer-songwriter Matthew West’s song “Don’t Stop Praying”. West wrote the song with Jeff Pardo and released it in January 2024.

“What’s your impossible? Your ‘I need a miracle’
What’s got you barely hanging by a single thread?
What looks so hopeless now? What weighs down your heart with doubt?
You beg for a breakthrough, but no sign of breakthrough yet

When you’ve cried, and you’ve cried ’til your tears run dry
The answer won’t come, and you don’t know why
And you wonder if you can bow your head even one more time.”

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I’d like to encourage you with a personal answer to prayer. Reverend Kevin used to work for a local restaurant and bar for many years, but over the last few years, one person in upper management made it his mission to clean house starting with the managers and even to the hourly employees no matter what the cost. He was verbally abusive to everyone to the point that resignations were coming into corporate left and right. I wanted Kevin out of there. I prayed everyday for Kevin to either get a grant to compensate for his salary or to get another job. Pastor Taylor from the Essex House of God church encouraged us to pray for a miracle and to set a date. I didn’t want to set a date, but I did. The time came and passed and the answer still had not come, but it was okay. I continued to pray that in God’s time, He would provide the answer. Six months later, my prayer was answered. Kevin was able to get another job which offered him a management title with assurance of advancement within 6 months to a year. It is less stressful and better hours. Please understand that God doesn’t always answer our prayers with a “yes” response. Sometimes, as in this case it was “wait a while”, other times, it is a “no”. As Christians, we need to realize that God in His wisdom will answer us according to what is the best response since He sees the whole picture. His reply may or not be in the way we want or in our time, but God IS always on time and we will be blessed because the outcome will be to His glory and to our benefit.

Reverend Kevin and Pastor Taylor