Building On The RockSample

Don’t Stop Praying

A father is going away for two months and says to his son, “You are to cut the grass when I am away,” He returns, and the grass is up to his knees. He says to his son, “I asked you to cut the grass when I was away.” The son replies, “I did. I cut it the week after you left.” He missed his father’s meaning. 

Jesus has the same kind of idea as the father when in the Sermon on the Mount He turns to teaching about prayer. He begins with a direct statement that captures the essence of what He has to say. The New Living Translation gives the force of the words like this: “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.” (Mathew. 7:7) 

On another occasion, Jesus leaves no room for misunderstanding when He tells the parable of a persistent widow who finally receives a favorable decision from a judge. Luke writes that He told this parable “to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1). In the parable, He gives the words of the judge, ”. . . because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice” (v. 5). God expects us to bother Him, to persist in prayer, to keep asking. But of course, our heavenly Father is not bothered by our prayers. That’s not the point. The point is on our end of the line. He is encouraging us to persist.

God wants to bless us just as a parent wants to bless a child who has asked for a new bike. He knows how to give us good gifts (Matthew 7:11). Sometimes He just wants us to ask and says, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2). Sometimes He has a lesson to teach us. Possibly we need to overcome an expectation of instant gratification and wait patiently (Psalm 37:7). We may need to exercise our faith muscles (Psalm 13:5). 

The Lord has a work to do in us (Philippians 1:6), and not answering a specific prayer when we ask or not answering in the way we expect it to be answered may contribute to that work. As David Quaoud writes, “When God makes you wait for something, it’s not his way of depriving you, but rather his means of changing you.” For these reasons God often requires us to persist in prayer.

Prayer: Lord, help me to wait and persist in asking when it seems my prayers are not being answered. Let me trust Your character, especially Your kindness. Let me trust in Your wisdom, that You know how to best answer my requests. Someday I may be shown the big picture and I will understand. In the meantime, help me to trust.