A month of prayer... done.

And yet, I hope (and pray!) that it is not done... not done at all. I have learned to be more intentional in prayers, I have gone through the frustration of trying to be more disciplined and still feeling the same results. I have chosen to continue praying.

I can't believe October is over. My desire to grow and to be changed and to receive a deeper appreciation for prayer is still there. Has it been fulfilled? I don't know. Perhaps I prayed more. Maybe I believed more. Did I sense his presence more? I'm not sure.

But as I read Yancey's book, he reminded me that the benefits and effects of prayer can often only be seen after months of the habit has been developed. Until this discipline has been engrained into the very fabric of your daily life for years. Then, looking back, it is easy to trace that small, consistent thread weaving in and out of every decision, situation and problem.

And so, I'll continue to pray and to plead with God to intervene in our broken, fallen world. Ask him to uphold his promises and to have him bring about redemption. Cry out to him to turn hearts toward him and to not give up on ours.

I pray because I must.