Today I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “Pray Continually and Do Not Be Discouraged.” The Bible says that we should pray continually and not be discouraged. As we pray without ceasing, we can move the hand of God. He always works behind us to intercede for our individual life, home, daily life, children, business and country. Therefore, in his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Today I am preaching the word of God, but it is the Holy Spirit who impresses you and leads the preaching now. Unless He does this, I can do nothing on my own. E.M. Bounds, a great theologian, said that only the Lord could move the mountain, but through our faith and prayer, we could move His hand. In the Bible, when Joshua fought the Amalekites, Moses stood on top of the hill and help up his hands and the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, Aaron and Hur took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. They held his hands up--one on one side, one on the other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. This clearly shows that nothing can be accomplished by human strength alone. In a certain town, a poor widow kept coming to a judge with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” "And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "(Luke 18:3-5) One of the secrets of prayer is that although this poor widow pleaded to be granted justice against her adversary, the Lord said that she kept bothering the unjust judge over and over again until the judge could not help but let her get justice. Jesus said this parable, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' ” "Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything. How can you bother me this late at night? Come tomorrow morning!'“ ”Tomorrow morning is too late. Please give me loaves of bread!“ He didn’t answer passively ”Oh, my dear friend, please have mercy on me. Help me now.“ Because that plea can’t get anything. He botheres his friend to the extreme. Then his friend might say, “Oh, my. Unless he gets bread, he will keep bothering me through the night. I have to give him as much as he needs.” When our Lord taught His disciples about the secret of successful prayer, He commented on this bothering friend who desperately needed bread along with the poor widow. Many people say, “Whenever we come to Yoido Full Gospel Church, it is too noisy! Why do they keep shouting to the Lord? Is He deaf? Why do they cry out to the Lord so loudly?” God is not deaf, but He loves those who cry out to Him with a loud voice. When we plead with earnest prayer to God, God recognizes our eagerness and answers our prayers. Luke 18:6-8 says, “And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’" As the world is getting hard-hearted and harsh, there will be fewer people who endure with faith. Matthew 7:11 says, “ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Some prayers are answered quickly while other prayers are not. We tend to be discouraged if our prayer is not answered although we have exerted for a long while. However, we must rise up against any frustration and keep praying again. It is because we need to be patient in waiting for an answer from God. Prayer is just like giving birth to a baby. In order to have joy to meet a new baby, a mother has to wait for 40 weeks while enduring her baby’s kicking and moving in her womb; she never cries out to her fetus to come out quickly. A pregnant mother must wait until the last month of her pregnancy. An answer to our prayer should be pregnant in our hearts. We must wait with prayer while dreaming and visualizing that our desire is fulfilled. Then through the pains of childbirth, the joy of answer from God will come to us. Abraham had prayed for 25 years until he received a son of God’s promise. Finally his prayer was answered! Joseph had to wait for a long time to fulfill a God-given dream in his life. Moses had to tend sheep for 40 years in the wilderness until he became a great leader for Israel. David had to spend 10 years in the wilderness until he became king of Israel. When they just looked up to God and endured hard times through prayer, their dreams came to pass in the end. James 1:4 says, “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” The time of waiting is never meaningless. Through it, God trims us to be without any defects. In our life, there come various trials. While we live in this world, we must endure those trials. Job 5:7 says, “Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. There is no one who never suffers. Even social status, fame, authority, and/or money can’t exempt us from suffering and hardships. In our entire life, suffering never leaves us alone. When I have researched all those successful pastors around the world who have at least a congregation of more than 10,000, there are few who have passed away peacefully. There havealways been hardships and sufferings. A great servant of God, Paul had to cross the Mediterranean Sea several times for the work of God; he also had to go through a great storm at sea. After he arrived at a certain island, because it was raining and cold, he set fire, but a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. However, there were several patients who suffered from fever and dysentery. Paul placed his hands on them and healed them. In the pastoral ministry, pastors can’t enjoy comfort and peace. Nevertheless, they have to stick to God’s works; no one can minister for his own fame or success. God also permits difficulties when He trains His disciples. In John 6:5-9, “When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’” The Lord tested His disciples. While there was a great crowd in the wilderness, about five thousand men were there beside women and children. The total number might reach ten thousand or fifteen thousand. Where could they buy enough bread to feed them all? Philip said that they didn’t have money nor any bakery in the wilderness. Andrew brought five loaves of bread and two small fish to Jesus. These two looked down to the earth to resolve their problem when the Lord tested them. Those who look down on the earth end up falling to the trials. No matter whatever situation we may be in, we must look up to heaven. Then according to God’s will, miracles of God will happen and Hisprovidence manifests. If they refuse to look up to heaven but stick to the earth, they will end up with despair and frustration in their hearts. James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” Not only God but also the devil test God’s servants. Adam and Eve were deceived by the temptation of the devil so they rebelled against God’s command and fell due to their greed. Nevertheless, Jesus the Son of God was baptized by the Holy Spirit at the Jordan and driven to the wilderness and fasted for forty days and forty nights and then was tested by the devil. The devil said to Him, "Now you are hungry. By the power of prayer, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, “Do not test God.” He refused to listen to the devil. Then the tempter took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. He said, "Throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." Again, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." But Jesus refused to test God and overcame the challenge of the devil. While we are living in this world, God tests us and the devil also tries to deceive us, but if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and love God and look up to Him only, we can overcome any trials. There are two kinds of attitudes that face trials. We should acknowledge that all humans have their own trial, but each one of them has his/her own attitude against it. Dr. Victor Frankl, who survived the Nazi concentration camp, with hope, said that to those who gave up suffering could be a curse while to those who would find a meaning in it, it would turn out to be a marvelous blessing. He also said that when humans ran into a stone in their path, some may say, “Who brought this stone in the way?” while others may say, “It is good to see a stepping stone here.” About the same stone in the way, one person complains saying, “Who brought this stone here?” while other people say, “It is so nice to walk on the stepping stone.” Therefore, whenever we happened to face a difficult situation, if we pray, “This hard situation will be a stepping stone,” then our hardship will be changed into a stepping stone. If we resist to pray even in it, it will remain as a stumbling block; but if we pray for it, it will be changed into a stepping stone. In all things God works for the good of us. When we pray continually and expect God’s help and commit our heavy and weary burdens to Him, we can expect His help. We should not be discouraged, frustrated, or in despair. Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” God-given suffering will be beneficial for us. Arnold Toynbee, a British historian, told that human civilization is not the result of comfort but that of suffering and adversity. In human history, not those nations that have lived in the warm weather and in peaceful regions without any war, but those who have lived in a very adverse situations have accomplished great civilizations. It is the same with not only countries or nations but also individuals. Just peaceful and comfortable circumstances can’t make us successful but through the process of overcoming suffering and hardships we can become developed and improve life by the help of God. There are atheists who claim that there is no God. Then, there are people who acknowledge the existence of God but are indifferent about Him. We need to live with God through prayers as God’s children. When we lift up our hands of prayer, God says the following to us. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah. 41:10) We Christians must live with joy in our hearts. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Worries and anxiety make our body and mind sick. Even a tree that has withstood hundreds of years’ in harsh coldness in winters, sizzling heat in hot summers and countless lightening bolts that have fallen down, when a tiny worm eats the tree from the inside, it dies. In our life there is a nagging worm like this; worries and anxiety. Those invisible worries and anxiety can eat our life from the inside to knock us down. What can we do with worries and anxiety? The best way to deal with these worries and anxiety is to commit them to the Lord. How? By earnest prayers we can leave them all to God. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” When we commit all our worries to the Lord through prayer, He will take good care of us and lead us by holding our hands to walk with us though our entire life. The world of our hearts is marvelous. When the devil fills it with his hellish negative thoughts, we will feel so frightened and desperate that we become unhappy, listless, discouraged and in despair. Only if we come beneath the cross of Jesus Christ and look up to His blood and believe in Him, His precious blood washes away all our sins and casts out the devil from us and gives us happiness and hope instead. Even if you face an overwhelming trial, you shouldn’t say, “I am finished!” We Christians should not say, “It is all over.” Rather we must say, “It is not too late.” It is because we still have prayer with us. Until we pray to the end there is no end for us. Those who can pray have hope no matter whatsituation they may be in. When we pray, God solves our problems and opens a new way for us. God still says, “It is not too late.” Therefore, we must hold this word of promise and rise up with boldness and move forward with prayer.