Prayer is the key to keeping the hope alive. Unless we take time to pray and ask God for things the feeling of hopelessness will prevail. There is nothing like a good moment of prayer, especially when one feels the doors of heaven open at the precise moment. Not all the time we pray we get that feeling that our prayers are heard and that an answer is on its way. We believe by faith that God will answer our prayers at his time, but we do not know when. Prayer sometimes feels like the lotto when we know that that one dollar will get us that million dollars. In lotto we wait until the evening news when the drawing comes in and each number speedily rolls to its spot. In prayer we pray and unlike lotto where many times we lose, in prayer we win all the time; just maybe not at that instance. Answers to our prayers have their time and we know that and that is why we continually pray; God answers prayer.
Acts 3:1-5
3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
Now, this man’s friends each day brought him to the gate to see if anyone would give him money, and day after day after day he came. It was a persistent effort and probably many some days he was brought back home with some or no money. It is the same with prayer consistency is a must in prayer especially when there have been times when you have received those things you have asked for (Ro. 12:12). Jesus spoke about a widow who did not give up seeking justice from a judge; she continually came asking for the same thing until he gave in (Lk.18:6-8). He set it as a example for us to continue in prayer even when we do not see the light to the answer as did this widow. The people of Israel were 400 years in captivity their prayer turned into crying when cruelty intensify and they could not take it any longer. But, in one specific moment God decides to come down and respond to that prayer when you have spent days praying (Ex. 3:7-8). We want to look at prayer a way to solve problems. When someone h as a problem they will sit somewhere and search for solutions. Prayer is just that, but with it we find ourselves speaking to one who is more then able to solve problems. Hannah was in need to a child; she was barren and could not conceive, so she went to the temple to pray and after she poured her soul to the Lord God answered (1Sam 1:19). Now, her husband decided to seek other ways to bring a solution to their problem such as going with other women other then going to God. Prayer deals with not just waiting on God but expecting answers from him.