“All night he continued in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:12)

“Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!” (Lamentations 2:19)

It often takes some time to pour out our soul in peace before the Lord and tell Him everything that is bothering us. The Lord Jesus sometimes spent a great many hours in this way. The Word of God also gives us a whole number of examples of men and women who prayed with perseverance.

It is said of Hannah that she prayed at length before the Lord (see 1 Sam. 1:12)—and how wonderfully He answered! Of her son Samuel we read that he once cried out to the Lord all night long (see 1 Sam. 15:11). God wrestled all night in Peniel with Jacob, and Jacob with Him. The patriarch did not let Him go until he received the blessing at dawn and thus became ‘Israel’, a “warrior of God” (see Gen. 32:24–29). The prophetess Anna was also a woman of prayer, who served night and day with fasting and prayer (see Luke 2:37). Elijah, the man of God, remained in prayer until his servant, who went to look for an answer seven times, finally told him that he saw a cloud on the horizon (see 1 Ki.18:42–44). In this context, James writes, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16 NKJV)!

It is good, after having cast all burdens on the Lord in prayer, to remain with Him a little longer to see what He places on our hearts, or rather, how He wishes to speak to us in the quiet. When we remain before God like this, it’s also a time when the Holy Spirit can explore our hearts and re-adjust our thoughts. Moses often spent time in the tent of meeting, in the presence of God. There he talked with God and God talked with him (see Num. 7:89). Abraham still remained before the Lord after the two angels had turned away to go to Sodom (see Gen. 18:22). In the presence of God, this hero of faith suddenly began to wrestle for souls with much boldness in prayer.

Have you ever wrestled with God in prayer for souls? When was the last time you quietly poured out your soul before the Lord Jesus? Take another moment, after having done this, to wait and see if the Lord still has something to say to you!