Day 16: Help In Time of Trouble; Perseverance

Welcome to Day 16 of 21 Days of Praying for Your Ministry! Today, in the morning, we are asking God to send help in time of trouble. And in the evening, we are asking for an anointing to persevere.

Here are some key Scriptures to remember if you need help in time of trouble (as we all do):

Psalm 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1 NKJV).

Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV).

Isaiah 43:1-4: “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.

For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you; therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life” (Isaiah 43:1-4 NKJV).

And one of my favorites of all is found in Psalm 91:14-15:

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him” (Psalm 91:14-15 NKJV).

O beloved, God will deliver you when you cry.

Are you in trouble today? No matter what kind of trouble you face, God is your Refuge and Strength. He is your very present Help in trouble. And if you will call to Him, He will answer you. Not only will He show you great and mighty things that you do not know, as He said in Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NKJV).

… But He will also deliver you and set you on high, according to Psalm 91.

Are you ready to call upon the Lord today for help in time of trouble?

If so, pray as follows:

• Tell the Father that you come before Him in Jesus’ name.
• Thank Him and praise Him for being so good to you, and for His mercy, which endures forever.
• Confess to the Lord that He is your refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
• Thank Him for being present with you right now.
• Ask Him to help you feel and sense His love, His presence, and His great affection toward you.
• Pour out your heart to the Lord about your troubles. Don’t whine or complain; simply tell the Lord what you are facing, and ask for His help. (He already knows what you’re facing, but the Bible tells us that great healing comes when we tell Him all about it anyway.)
• Thank Him for being your Creator and Lord. Thank Him for redeeming you, calling you by your name, and adopting you as His child.
• Pray that, even though you pass through the waters, the Lord would be with you and make His presence known to you in your trials.
• Pray that the rivers of trouble would not overflow or overwhelm you.
• Ask that the Lord would keep you safe from the fires of adversity, and that you would not be burned or scorched even emotionally impacted by the flames and fires of trouble.
• Thank the Lord for giving other people in exchange for you.
• Thank Him for preferring you over others, and for giving you favor and freedom–even if He has to discipline others while He’s doing so.
• Point out to the Lord that you have set your love upon Him, and that you love Him with all your heart; that He is your everything.
• Ask Him to deliver you from your trouble, in accordance with Psalm 91:14-15.
• Pray in Jesus’ name that He will set you on high because you do know His name.
• Ask Him to answer you and show you great and mighty things that you do not know, and which you have never experienced before.
• Tell the Lord that you are calling upon Him, and ask Him to answer you in visible ways. Pray that He will help you notice all His answers to your prayers.
• Ask the Lord to be with you in this trouble in astounding ways; that He would shock and surprise you by His tangible, manifest help and deliverance.
• Ask Him to honor you–not because you deserve it in your own flesh, but simply because you are His child, and He said in Psalm 91 that He will deliver you and honor you!

Beloved, the Lord’s help is real, and it is for you.

His help is for you because He is for you. He is your Defender, your Stronghold, and your Mighty Warrior. Call upon Him today, and He will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you do not know! (See Jeremiah 33:3 above.)

And in the evening, pray and ask the Lord for a fresh anointing to persevere.

Look at these encouraging Scriptures and promises:

Galatians 6:9: “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9 NKJV).

2 Timothy 1:6-7: “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

And then, we have the words of Jesus Himself in Isaiah 50:

Isaiah 50:7: “For the Lord God will help Me therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed” (Isaiah 50:7 NKJV).

Additionally, Jesus tells us the following “ultimate reward” for perseverance in Revelation 3:10-13:

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 3:10-13 NKJV).

O beloved. I know it is difficult to hang in there sometimes, but you simply have to persevere!

Tests and trials may come, but the Lord will get you through all of them. You, however, have to decide to hang in there and keep going, even when you want to quit and give up!

Trust me: I know what it is to desire to quit. I frequently wish I could quit. However, I can’t–because to do so would be sin against God. God’s Word commands us to persevere. And if we draw back from faith, God has no pleasure in us:

“Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38 NKJV).

… And friend, that would be a scary path to walk.

Do you want favor with God? Do you want reward?

Then you have to persevere.

Pray as follows for a new and fresh anointing to persevere today:

• Tell the Father that you come before Him in Jesus’ name.
• Thank Him that you can come boldly before the throne of grace (His throne), where you may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
• Praise Him for being your Refuge and Fortress, and for filling you with His life abundant.
• Ask Him for a fresh infilling of His Holy Spirit, and of wisdom, today.
• Pray that the Lord would strengthen you and give you rest as you come to Him right now.
• Ask Him to help you set your face like flint, just as Jesus did; and to press on and persevere, no matter what.
• Pray that He would help you not to grow weary while doing good. Ask Him to strengthen your heart and help you to wait on Him.
• Pray that He would bring you the harvest on your faithfulness, on your service, on your perseverance, and on every holy seed you have ever sown.
• Ask Him to help you stir up the gifts of God which are in you.
• Ask Him to fill you anew and afresh with His dunamis power, as well as with His love.
• Pray that you would operate in the mind of Christ today, since you do have the mind of Christ.
• Ask Him to keep you, your mind, and emotions stable and fixed; and that you would operate out of that sound mind that His Word says He has given you.
• Pray that He would not allow you to be disgraced or ashamed in anything, and that He will help you in everything today.
• Pray that you would always keep His command to persevere, and that He will help you do this.
• Ask Him to keep you from every hour of trial that is coming on the earth.
• Pray that you would hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
• Pray that He would help you to overcome, and that He will make you a pillar in the temple of the Lord, and that you would go out of His temple no more.
• Ask Him to write on you the name of God and the name of the New Jerusalem, and to write on you His new name.
• Pray that He would help you to be faithful to Him like He has been faithful to you.
• Pray that you would not draw back from anything He has told you to do, and that you would walk by faith continually.
• Thank Him, and give Him all the praise!

Beloved, God wants you to persevere.

And persevering can be a difficult thing to do in our own flesh. However, if you will ask the Lord for His help, He will give you grace and strength to set your face like flint and push on.

Finally, let’s remind ourselves of what the apostle Paul wrote, taking dictation from Holy Spirit Himself, in Philippians chapter 3:

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV).

No matter what, my friend, press on.

Press toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Set your face like flint today to obey God. Ask Him for His help–beg Him for His help, if it makes you feel better–and He will answer. And no matter what, He will help you, and yes: you can persevere.

Do these Scriptures minister to your heart today, right at the point of your need? If so, leave a comment below!