Title: Persisting in Prayer Through the Trial of Your Faith
Speaker: Pastor Peter Moore
Date: 7th May 2023
Location: Central Coast, Australia
Summary:
“He prayed seven times not because it didn’t work the first time. He prayed seven times because he believed.”
Elijah is one of the most dramatic figures in the Old Testament, but James holds him up as an example of something every believer can relate to: ordinary, persistent prayer. This episode takes a close look at 1 Kings 18, where Elijah prays seven times for rain before even a small cloud appears on the horizon. The lesson is not about spiritual superpowers. It is about staying in faith when nothing is visible yet.
A key question worth sitting with is this: what exactly is the trial of your faith? The answer is broader than most people expect. The trial of faith is not just the dark seasons or the crises. It is every part of life, from the first moment of new birth. Whether circumstances are painful, enticing, boring, or even going really well, the trial of faith is present and active.
Underneath all of this is a vital reminder about identity. Because of Christ, we are not the ones on trial. It is the faith of Jesus Christ living in us that is being proved, and his faith has already won. That truth reshapes how we pray, how we persist, and how we face whatever is in front of us right now.
Key Points:
- The trial of your faith is not limited to hard times. It covers every part of life from the moment of new birth.
- Elijah’s seven prayers for rain show that persistence in prayer is not a sign of doubt. It is a sign of belief.
- God’s plan includes our prayer. Even when God has promised something, he invites us to pray it through.
- The faith being tested is the faith of Jesus Christ living in us, and his faith has already overcome.
- Our identity in Christ remains unchanged by circumstances. We are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.
Reference Scriptures:
- James 5:16-18
- 1 Kings 17-18
- 1 Peter 1:6-7
- Job 23:10
- Galatians 2:20
- Romans 8:16-17
- Isaiah 55:11
- Ephesians 2:6