Prayer Problems: Practice - 3 Persistence Pays Off

Focus passage: Luke 11:1-13

When I was a music student, I found some passages had to be practiced over and over. It wasn’t good enough to come close to the music on the page, I needed to get it right. I had to be in sync with the accompanist or those I was singing with. Sometimes, we pray as if we care less what the result is. “Lord, heal John or help Sally. If you don’t, I guess that it is OK.” In the first parable, Jesus shows a man whose persistence pays off. He gets what he wants. Jesus’ point is that we should pray with persistence as well.

• Persistence shows that you are serious. Persistence is not the way to get God to give in to our requests. It is a demonstration of how serious we are in prayer. In the text, the man was desperate. He needed the food. Likewise, you pray persistently for healing healed because Uncle John was like a father to you. Persistence is believing that God can and will help you. You are not going to give up on the person who needs your prayers.

• Persistence shows that you are willing to learn. You pray repeatedly because you want help and you want to learn what kind of help God knows that you need. Persistent prayer molds me and helps me to be willing to have God’s values and accept His plan in this situation. It is a prayer of faith because we believe with all our hearts that God cares about us and so you want His plan and not your own.

• Persistence shows the world that God will answer. We pray as if God’s reputation is at stake. We are showing the world that God can be trusted and that He will answer if we give Him a chance. We claim His promises in scripture and show the world that God is not a liar. Our persistent prayers demonstrate God’s presence to the world and His answers show the world that He is not dead, but is very powerful indeed.

If we practice our prayer, we will build a relationship with God that allows us to be bold and tenacious in prayer. Like the neighbor in the parable, we know God so well that we are confident enough to ask for help. We wouldn’t think of going anywhere else because we have learned to trust the Lord and to be confident that He will answer our need.

Persistence is not a way of shaming God or manipulating Him. It is a selfless act of throwing yourself on His mercy and waiting for His answer. You will not give up because you know that God is working on what you need even as you speak. The longer you pray, the better the opportunities you have to understand His plan and have the greatest benefit in your time of need.

How many times would you be willing to pray for something that was very important before you gave up? Please share your comments and questions below or send me your thoughts at 32daysdevotions@gmail.com.   My hope is to “talk” about your thoughts in the blog so we can have a conversation and I can learn from you.