Tenacity in Prayer

By Alice Smith

"And He also spoke a parable to them to teach it is always right to pray,
and not to faint" (Luke 18:1).

I grew up along the Gulf Coast of Texas and have always loved to fish. So several
years ago, when our family went on vacation to Puerto Vallerta, Mexico, one of my
expectations was to go deep-sea fishing. Eddie arranged the deal with two Hispanic
men on their well-equipped private boat.

The next morning, very early, we arrived at the boat dock. As we stepped onto the
boat, Eddie pointed out to me how expensive the rods and reels were. Since we
would be fishing for sailfish or marlin, the rigs we used cost from $800 to $1,000
each. I was so nervous about losing the rig that my knuckles turned white as I held
on tightly to the rod.

Soon, however, the boat ride began to relax me. With the rhythm of the boat over
the waves, I started to get sleepy. Twenty minutes later we arrived at just the right
spot to fish. The captain told us we needed live bait, of which Eddie accommodated
us by immediately catching several small tuna--perfect bait for big fish.

Two hours passed. We had paid for four hours, and now half of our time was gone.
Except for Eddie's 6 inch tuna, we had caught nothing. I was beginning to worry. So
I decided to pray. Jesus tells us to pray about everything, and I really wanted to
catch a trophy-size fish. I told the captain and his friend that I was going to pray to
Jesus that I would catch a big fish. He and his co-mate looked at me with disbelief.

Hey, the world desperately needs to see nonreligious attitudes among Christians, so
I began to speak with my eyes open and said, "Lord Jesus, you own all the fish in this huge ocean. I am asking you right now to let me catch a very big one. Thank you for hearing my prayer. Amen." It was humorous, because the men had removed their caps and bowed their heads. At the end of my prayer they repeated "amen" after me.

Less than three minutes later, a gorgeous sailfish leaped out of the water. His snout
was long and slender, his fins fully extended. The beautiful blue fish struggled to free
himself from my line. I was ecstatic! This sailfish was on my line and now I was in
the fight to bring him in. Neither Eddie nor the men helped me with the line. But
they carefully instructed me on how to reel the fish in. As soon as I engaged the fish
in the fight, other party boats began to circle ours. I could almost feel the spite of
the professional fishermen as they watched me from afar. (Smile.)

I screamed almost the entire 35 minutes it to took to tire the fish! The strength of
that sailfish was tremendous-and indescribable. Two times I reeled the fish to the
boat only to have it gain new energy and run. It was so difficult to release the line
and allow the fish to run, for I knew it was going to require more tenacity and
determination on my part to reel him in again. But I was determined to win the
battle and land this fish. Finally, the fish tired. The third time I pulled the fish near
the boat, it was too exhausted to resist. The fish was mine! We pulled this beauty
into the boat—all 80 pounds of it and 8 feet, 1 inch long. Perhaps you're wondering
why I'm telling you this fish story. Is it because I want to brag a little? Well, maybe.
But there is another reason.

While I struggled with my line, I had seriously questioned my ability to catch the
fish. Doubt flooded my mind. I was tired and thirsty. My arms ached. The strength of
the fish was intense. People all around me were watching to see if I would stick with
the fight. Although I had prayed to Jesus for this blessing, now my faith was being
tested. Intercessory prayer is not unlike what I went through to catch that sailfish.

God gives us a burden. The load is heavy and the struggle is intense. It may be
about your wayward child. Just like that fish, one minute your child appears to be
repenting and then off he or she runs. You pray even more. You ask the Lord to
answer your prayer and He has put you in the fight of your life. Jesus told us, "And
from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth
violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matt. 11:12).

Effective, prevailing prayer can require extreme effort. It is a fight, a spiritual
violence that has you hanging on to the promises of God with white-knuckle
intensity. Your child is running from God and doesn't want anything to do with Him.
Just hang on to the rig! Don't let go. You might even see a small breakthrough& #894; but
until your child is in the boat of salvation and victory, you must remain engaged in
the battle. It requires tenacity, determination, faith, and confidence in God and His
Word to get the big fish into the boat.

This story applies to someone you know--a friend, a husband, a child, a parent. Keep
fishing. Don't give up! Pray! Hang on to God's promises and some day you will land
the big one!