The Helpful Reason You Need to Pray Persistently

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Do you pray persistently?

I’m not talking about frequently lifting words you memorized years ago; I’m thinking about taking the things weighing you down—the burdens you’re carrying.

Jesus told His followers…

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7–8

Ask … Seek … Knock.

Have you ever noticed that each of those words gets intentionally bolder?

I think of polite and quiet asking that becomes more determined seeking that finally grows into tenacious knocking.

We’re been invited into the throne room of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

And yet, I wonder how often we stop after an ask or two. How often we give up before we really get started? How often we let busyness, distractions, worry, and a plethora of other things keep us from the very thing we need most?

I have known persistent prayer … I’ve prayed for broken relationships to be healed and I’ve prayed for emotional and physical healing. Some prayers have gone on for years, some were answered quickly, and some never received the answer I longed for.

Right now, I’m persistently praying for comfort, peace, strength, and wisdom. Although, I’d love to wake up one of these mornings feeling like all my pieces are back in place and I’m ready to move ahead with an unburdened heart … the Lord is asking me to prayerfully trust Him one day at a time.

So, I’ve been wondering how often we give up too quickly. I’ve had times when I’ve prayed, didn’t get what I wanted, and charged ahead on my own, working to reach my desired outcome.

But what if that’s one of the reasons Jesus explicitly taught us to pray persistently?

I know, God created us for His plans and purposes and that means “doing.” We weren’t made to spend all our time reading our Bibles and praying on the couch. But our doing is best done on God’s timetable.

There are times when He wants us to pray persistently while we wait on Him trusting that He is at work in the people and circumstances around us.

But it’s hard, isn’t it? It takes faith!

Paul wrote…

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.

Romans 5:3–5

The truth is that persistently praying through our trials and challenges is one of the things the Spirit uses to strengthen us and teach us the truth about His love and the hope of salvation.

So, when we pray, let’s remember to wait with hope as we ask, seek, and knock because God will use it all in His time for our ultimate good and His glory.

Let’s pray…

A Prayer Asking God for Help to Pray Persistently

Father God, thank you for the gift of prayer. You want me to ask when I need help and direction. You encourage me to seek Your truth and to knock persistently always remembering that You are the loving and caring Lord of my life.

But it’s hard to wait, Lord. It’s hard to have a need that seems out of reach day after day after day. Please forgive me for being so impatient. Forgive me for believing I have all the answers and know the perfect time.

Please help me love and trust You with all that I am. Help me remember that whatever You allow in my life … You will use for my good and Your glory when I surrender myself to Your will.

By Your grace and with Your Spirit’s help, I will pray persistently coming to You with my wants and needs, fears and concerns, present and future.

I believe You not only know what’s best for me You want what’s best for me. So, I will cling to Your promises as I trust Your ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

John Wesley wrote…

“Storm the throne of grace and persevere therein, and mercy will come down.”

And Charles Spurgeon said…

“Your life, your heart, your whole being should be one perpetual discourse of the lovingkindness of the Lord, and your heart, even if the Lord be silent, should carry on fellowship by adoring His blessed name.”

The closer you and I remain to the Father through prayer the less able the enemy is to confuse and frustrate us.

He is consistently whispering, “Did God really say…”

It is his goal that we will begin to doubt and eventually lose faith and stop trusting the Lord.

But God through the power of the Spirit is forever prompting us to pray persistently knowing that our sweet prayerful conversations connect us to Him. So let’s Ask, Seek, and Knock because persistent prayer grows faith roots that go deeply into the soil of God’s love keeping us strong.

May the Lord be with you and bless you as you trust God’s love and pray persistently.

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