"Make Your Life a Prayer"

February 27, 2024 Daily Devotion: "Make Your Life a Prayer" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 The Passion Translation Let joy be your continual feast. Make your life a prayer. And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus. When God told Abraham He intended to determine if Sodom was deserving of destruction, Abraham then interceded, praying on behalf of however many righteous people might be there. He asked God if He would destroy Sodom if fifty righteous people were found there, and the Lord said He would not. Abraham then asked if He would destroy the city if forty-five righteous people were found there, then forty people, then thirty, then twenty. Each time Abraham asked, God said He would not destroy it for that many people. Finally Abraham said, “Suppose ten should be found there?" And God said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten" (Genesis 18:32). As it turned out, only four righteous people were there, so God destroyed it. But Abraham had stopped asking at ten. We need the kind of persistence in prayer that causes us to continue asking as Abraham did. Too often we stop short. Perhaps Abraham stopped asking because he couldn't imagine that there wouldn't be at least ten righteous people in Sodom. Or perhaps by then God had proved His point and revealed His intentions. God knew the city was wicked enough to destroy, but He saved the four righteous people-which were Lot, his wife, and their two daughters (Genesis 19:29). Your prayers are powerful to save too. So keep asking and continue seeking, and don't ask for crumbs when God wants to give you the banquet. When it comes to praying for you ask God to help you persist in prayer for even what may seem impossible. Ask for your marriage to not only be saved, but to be good. Ask for it to not only be good, but to be great. God doesn't say “No” to what is His will. If your husband has a strong will that refuses to submit to God's will, persist in praying that God's will wins out.