Years ago, we decided to double the size of our house to accommodate our growing family. Part of the plan was to extend the kitchen and dining room to make a walkway to the new family room. This extension and the family room required extensive knocking out of walls, and tons of digging up of dirt and reinforcing all kinds of mysterious things I didn't understand. What I did learn about is the foundations. It took longer than anyone could predict. It was messy and sometimes seemed endless.
The same can be said of Christian work. Foundations must be laid down carefully. The digging done in the quiet of prayer is essential. It may be unseen and sometimes prolonged but there needs to be this foundation laid and continued if a work built is to survive. Prayer is not an accessory, it is pivotal and powerful to be discerning, empowering, encouraging and even directing the coming edifice.
So much has been forgotten about this necessary part of building that I want to moan and cry. We see great works fall down easily without prayer.
God's ways are not man's ways. A work for the Lord is only as strong as the ongoing real, heartfelt prayer of the saints.
