Travailing

 The word travail is defined as painful and laborious effort. That describes the kind of praying it takes to give birth to miraculous moves of God. The kind of heart, soul, and passion poured out before God. The only thing to liken it to is a mother giving birth to a child. There are tremendous labor pains and excruciating effort before the bundle of joy comes. 

This kind of prayer is taxing. It requires time, focus, perseverance, and gut wrenching agony in the kind of fervent petitioning that moves mountains, changes circumstances, and calls the things that are not into existence. It is a rare form of prayer among the pew dwellers. It cannot be accomplished in a few short minutes. Time becomes irrelevant in travailing intercession. A person will get lost in the presence of God losing track of time. Burdens will be unloaded and new ones will be planted from God about the things that break His heart. 

Just like a baby is conceived and then must grow to maturity before birth comes, so with some answers to prayer. Some answers come quickly. People love it when that happens. Other answers are delayed until God's perfect timing and plan unfold. This season of waiting is necessary just like it is necessary for the embryo to become a fetus and eventually a baby. God's answers will not come one second earlier than He intends. Some prayers linger in the ears of God. He does not always give us what we want. Many times we do not know what is best. The waiting period can seem long and drawn out. 

Then the time comes to travail. The answer is close at hand. The agony of such travailing times are not pleasant. In these times, faith is tested. Resolve is proved. Perseverance is required. The end result of all that is the long sought after answer. This is where God is glorified. Where His people get to testify of the great things He did. When the tangible answer is visible for all to see and enjoy. 

Sadly, some never get to this point. They give up too soon. The quit travailing, quit believing, cease hoping, and lose heart. How many millions of prayers were not answered that God intended to, because His people failed to travail long enough to give birth to the answer. Let us travail until we see God work for His glory. He is glorified when He does impossible, improbable, and implausible things. He is able. He is reliable. He is undeniably powerful. Let us travail until the miracle answer comes.