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Going the Distance
J
esus encouraged His disciples to “always pray and not give up” (luke 18:1). Persevering in prayer isn’t easy, but Scripture and history are full of examples that show how much it matters. Hannah prayed year after year that God would bless her with a baby (1 samuel 1:7), and Israel’s history was forever altered because of Samuel’s birth. Paul, Silas, and Timothy told the Christians in Thessalonica that they prayed “night and day” for them (1 thessalonians 3:10). Paul also told the church in Colosse about how Epaphras was “always wrestling in prayer” for them (colossians 4:12). 27
