Persistent prayer life is a commitment to continually ask God for anything you desire until He answers. Not giving up or quitting or try other means to get your request granted but Say to yourself, never to stop calling on God until He tells you to stop!
Do you want God to heal a loved one? Do you want God to touch a loved one? Do you want God to intervene in your case? Do you want God to give you justice? Do you want God to show you Mercy or do you want God to bless you abundantly… Persistent prayer life can just be what you need right now!
Jacob wanted a blessing from God, he persisted in prayer and wrestled with a man all night. He knew the man could give him what he needed but had to persist until the man gave him the blessing and he later realized that he had wrestled with God.
“Then Jacob was left alone; a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.” Genesis 32:24-29
Be sure that you are hungry enough for what you seek. Jacob’s hip was damaged in his struggle. Wrestling implied being willing to endure the challenge to gain the prize. It’s amazing how God allows us to win our battles with Him. Jacob gets his blessing. His name became that of a great nation. Likewise, God answers our prayers, usually beyond our expectations.
One of Abraham’s encounters with God shows us how God welcomes persistent prayer even when we are wrong and pleading for mercy! “And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?
Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?”
So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.” Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.” Genesis18:23-33
Abraham pleaded on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. He persisted and even question God’s justice. “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? he asked. How often the righteous often suffer because of the deeds of the unrighteous!
Abraham persistently prayed asking if 50 righteous people were in Sodom and Gomorrah. How about 45? 40? 30? 20? or 10? God gave him a listening ear and granted his request, unfortunately, 10 righteous people were not found. Even though Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, God accepted Abraham’s persistent prayer. God is our Father, we should not be scared to discuss anything with Him.
Jesus also encourages us to pray persistently. God respond to persistent prayer the way any lovely father would. “And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?
I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:5-13
By this parable, we can see that He can sometimes say yes to stop us from constantly bothering Him on a particular issue. However, God will not give us something he disapproves rather, He will say to us all right, if it’s not the best for you at this time, you will learn from it!
You don’t ask once, seek once or knock once and stop without the desired result. The verbs are in the present tense; keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking until there is evidence to show for it!
Persistence in prayer helps us to treasure and be a good steward of what we are asking from God. It can also be a good way of passing a message of not giving up anytime soon until the request is granted.
Finally, Jesus told us a parable in the Bible about the unjust judge and the widow! The Judge said “Yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’” Luke18:5
Jesus says, since the unjust Judge could give Justice after persistent disturbances, God will avenge His elect who call on Him day and night.
All the scriptures I used are illustrations for us not to ever give up in prayer until there is a desired result. God has the integrity and ability to do what the scriptures say. Let’s come to Him in prayer, with no other option in mind!
I like to conclude on this note by saying, a long prayer meeting is good but a “persistent prayer life” is better.
PRAYER
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” (Amen) Numbers 6:24-26