Learning to Pray the Jesus WayChikamu

Learning To Pray Persistently

Persistent praying is having a never-give-up attitude with prayer. It’s pushing through when you feel like you’re at an impasse or when it feels like nothing is changing. It’s being dogged and sometimes repetitive even, in asking God for things. The basis of this kind of prayer is having a perfect Heavenly Father who gives good gifts to his children. 

Persistence is the catalyst to the process of praying. You may wonder if persistence is necessary, considering God already knows what we want or need. Why do we have to go on asking? Jesus tells his disciples in Luke 11 that they should ask, seek, and knock in order to receive what they ask for. Interestingly the Hebrew words for these three verbs are in the present continuous tense which means they actually are “keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking.” Jesus used two parables to illustrate the concept of persistence in prayer which indicates that it’s an important spiritual discipline.

The obstacle to this kind of prayer though is our need for instant gratification. We want instant responses which are either yes or no. We hate delays or ambiguity. We want answers the very same day almost like instant coffee or frozen dinners. 

The reality that we must come to terms with, is that some prayers take months, or even years, to be answered. 

Persistent prayers may not change others or our circumstances, but they change us. They change our hearts, our posture, and our mindsets and reinforce the hope that we find in Jesus.