The reach the prayer of the faith (continued)

You must keep trying. You must not, after having prayed once for a thing, stop yourself, and call it the prayer of faith. See Daniel, he prayed for 21 days, and he did not stop until he got his request. He set his heart and face toward the Lord, to seek Him by supplication, with fasting, and covered with sackcloth and ashes. He held out for three weeks, then the answer came. Why did not she come sooner ? God sent an archangel to carry the message, but the devil kept him from doing so all the time (Daniel 10: 12-13).

See what Christ teaches in the parable of the unrighteous judge and in the bread. It is because God answers our prayers when they are unwelcome. "And will not God do justice to those whom he has chosen who cry out to him day and night ?" (Luke 18: 7). If you want to pray in faith, be sure to walk every day with God. If you do, he will tell you what you should pray for. Be filled with His Spirit, and He will show you enough subjects of prayer ; then he will give you the spirit of prayer, as far as you can bear it.

A good man once said to me : "Oh ! I die for lack of strength to pray! My body is broken  ! The whole world is weighing on me. How could I not pray ?". I saw this man go to bed, completely sick, exhausted and failing under the weight of which he spoke. I know that he prayed as if he wanted to do violence in Heaven, and I then saw the blessing come as obviously in answer to his prayer as if it had been revealed to him in advance, and for everyone, it was as clear as if God had spoken of heaven.

Shall I tell you how he died ? He prayed more and more ; taking before him the map of the world, and praying for all the countries he had before his eyes until he finally died in his room, praying. Happy man, he was a subject of raillery for the impious, as well as for the Christians, carnal and incredulous, but he was the favorite of Heaven, and a conqueror in prayer.

Jeremy Sourdril