Praying When You Don't Want ToSample

If God could answer one prayer in your lifetime, what would it be? Is it for Him to free you from your past? Overcome an addiction? Bring your friends and family into a relationship with Him? I don’t know what you are praying for, but I do know that we are all desperate for God to fix the most broken and lonely parts of our lives. God tells us that when it comes to prayer, persistence pays off.

I feel like kids comprehend this concept far better than any adult. I have seen kids be relentless in their whining to get what they want. Just the other day, my daughter begged for me to give her a snack (for what felt like an hour), and I said no because we were going to be eating dinner soon. Not even 10 minutes later I see her on the couch mowing down on a bag of chips, and I am like, “What in the world?! I just told you no, and we are about to eat dinner!” Then she graciously informed me that while I was on the phone, she asked again while I wasn’t really listening, and I nodded my head yes. Now that is a girl who understands that persistence pays off!

God tells us to pray like that—continually and persistently, but unlike me, God is a perfect Father (not easily distracted) who loves when we continue to go to Him with all our needs. God doesn’t promise that we will get what we are asking for, but He does promise that He hears us and will answer in a way we actually need.

How can you be more relentless in your prayer life, even if you don’t see results? Know that the way He will answer those prayers will be better than we can ever ask or imagine.