Persistent Prayer: Not Giving Up Before God

Persistent prayer is the practice of continuing to pray even when the answer is slow to come. Luke 18:1-8 records the parable of the importunate widow: Jesus taught this parable 'to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.' Persistence in prayer does not express doubt, but an active confidence that God hears and answers in his time. Jesus does not teach that God is like the unjust judge who must be worn down; on the contrary, if even an unjust judge finally grants justice because of persistence, how much more will the heavenly Father respond to his elect who cry to him day and night. Persistent prayer shapes our faith and strengthens our trust in him. Daniel 10:12-13 shows that his words were heard from the very first day, yet he had to pray twenty-one days before seeing the answer, because an unseen battle was being waged. Persistence is part of the process. Philippians 4:6 instructs, 'Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.' This persistence must, however, be joined to trust in God's sovereignty and a willingness to accept his will: Paul prayed three times about his thorn, then received God's answer and rested in his sufficient grace (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). To persevere is to believe that the silence of God is not indifference.