Walls of Circumstance By Kristie Washington

“…always pray and do not give up.”  Luke 18:1

Keep on praying”. Do you ever get tired of hearing that? Does it seem like you have been
praying for days, months, and sometimes years, and the external circumstances that are before
your eyes never really seem to change? The needle just isn’t moving. I’ve been there. Many
days I am there, and I’m sure you can say the same. However, God has been, and continues to
teach me perseverance, no matter what I see.

With every prayer I pray, I know that I am chipping away at the wall of circumstances in front of
me. I see that wall as a thick brick wall that I can’t get over or around, but am going to have to
go through. There have been many days that, just like Elijah in the wilderness, I have wanted to
sit down in despair and give up. “I have had enough, Lord…” (1 Kings 4b). Then God, in His
kindness, sends a friend, a Scripture, or a song that encourages me and lifts my head so that I
may keep going.

As the days and months drag into what seem like very long years, I continually ask the Lord to
teach, correct, rebuke, and train me (2 Timothy 3:16) so that my prayers will align with His will
for my life. Until I hear otherwise, I know that I can pray in alignment with 1 John 5:14-15, which
says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to
His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have
what we asked of Him.”

So, back to my analogy of the brick wall….if I look at this huge, towering wall that stands
between me and whatever I’m praying for, it would be so easy to give up and walk away. It’s too
hard. However, if I look at the section right in front of me and focus only on that area, the wall
becomes much smaller, not so impossible to break through.

This reminds me of Nehemiah, who was tasked with rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem. Wait a
minute….we’re wanting to tear down a wall, not build another one! Hang with me…Nehemiah,
in chapter 3, verses 10, 23, and 28-29, encouraged the men of Jerusalem to make repairs and
build right in front of their own homes. I am taking the liberty of assuming, in each of these
scenarios, that their section of the wall was much smaller than if they had to rebuild/repair the
entire wall in Jerusalem. Because of this assumption, I would say it would have been much
easier to persevere in building their small section, and therefore, they could remain hopeful that
each man could complete the task.

In that same light, as you or I look at whatever wall of circumstance that is seemingly impossible
this year, we can focus our eyes on what is right in front of us. We continue to petition the Lord,
surrender our will, obey His Word, pray, fast, and seek His face. As we are faithful in each of
these things, we will continue to persevere in chipping away at the wall of circumstances we
face. One day, light will break through the wall! It may be the size of a pinhole, but Light gives

us hope! Light, which is Jesus Christ, gives us hope that things will change. The wall of
circumstances will, at some point, come down if we do not give up! The Light helps us remain
vigilant in persevering on our section of the wall. Breakthrough is coming because God, in His
perfect timing, will always see us through.

James 1:3-4 says, ”…you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance
must finish its work so that you will be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man (woman) that perseveres under trial, for when he (she)
has stood the test, he (she) will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who
love Him.”

Keep praying and focus your eyes on the One who is faithful and will always see us through!