9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. (Romans 1:9-13)
These verses hit me
as I was starting to read through Romans a few weeks ago. It seems Paul had
prayed long and hard that he’d be able to visit the Roman Saints to use his
spiritual gifts for them. It is interesting to realize that this prayer was
indeed answered, though it took years and Paul had to endure years of
imprisonment and dangerous journeys to do it. The last two verses of Acts
record that after having reached Rome, Paul lived there for two years,
preaching and teaching the gospel.
The Lord answers
prayers, sometimes taking years, but He answers them. It’s a serious thing to
realize that determined, diligent prayers will be answered. One has to think
carefully about what would be most important to prayer for. What will we pray for without ceasing?
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