We humans are so impatient. We don't like to wait at traffic lights, drive through windows, restaurants, the DMV, the post office, or any place else! We live in a fast paced society and expect things to move along quickly. It's difficult enough to make time to pray, but when we do we expect God to respond with the same rapid speed which we expect from everything else. God, however, moves at his own pace. Patience is one of the essential elements in learning to pray effectively. However, Jesus does not expect us to wait passively but passionately! We are to be persistent in prayer believing that God will do his will on earth as it is done in heaven. And as we pray and plead with God to accomplish his will, we are to look for ways he is seeking to work through us. How often does God use our prayers to develop us so that we might become the very answer to our prayers.
Such is the case in the wonderful story of William Willberforce's life. The one weakness of the recent movie portrayal of his life is that it does not spend enough time showing this remarkable man's dependence upon God through prayer. However, knowing that as a historical fact, makes this movie a tremendous portrayal of how God works in answer to persistent prayer.
