The Time Is Now - Developing A Lifestyle Of Prayer

J. Expose your people to excellent prayer resources, such as those men­ tioned in the preceding point. Be prepared to invest part of your budget to this end. The return is well worthwhile.

K. Regularly encourage story sharing, especially by those who have seen prayers answered, whose lives have been changed by pmyer.

L. Never give up. Keep boiling the water. Motivating your people to commit and to maintain their commitment may be one of the most difficult things you'll ever do. But the end result will pay rich dividends. Don't give up, and together you will make a difference beyond all proportion to your ability. You'll see God at work. Shortly before my dad's military retirement, we lived in Alameda, California. My dad would take us kids down to the dock to fish. One day a huge battleship was tied up to the dock, dwarfing all of us. Without warning, Dad stepped to the edge, his toes extending over the water, and he leaned out at a forty-five-degree angle in order to push with all his might against the ship. We began to think Dad should have started retirement sooner. Despite our bewildered glances and disparaging gestures, Dad kept pushing against the huge ship. For fifteen or twenty minutes he pushed, with no result. Finally, to our amaze­ ment, the ship moved! At that moment I would not have been surprised to see a big, red "S" on Dad's chest. Sitting down with us on the dock, Dad said, "I didn't make it through much school, and I'm not sure how this works. But somehow my energy is stored in that ship, as I push. After a while there's enough energy that it moves. Now, never forget two things. First, if I had quit even two seconds too soon, it wouldn't have moved, and all I had done up to that point would have been wasted. And second, if one of you had helped me, we would have done it in half the time." This is now my mental image for moving groups of people to pray. Keep pushing, in love. If one other person will push with you, recruit them, and both of you keep pushing. If you don't give up, you will see results. It is God's will that families and ministries be devoted to prayer, and national revival may well begin with you.

12. Jesus taught this same attitude of persistence in Luke 18:1 and following. How will you keep the water boiling inyour situation?