Power In Persistence

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Jesus taught us a powerful principle in a parable regarding a persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8.

“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. ‘There was a judge in a certain city,’ he said, ‘who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests.’

Then the Lord said, ‘Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them of? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?’”


Was the widow being persistent in her request or was she nagging?

Are you being persistent in your prayers or are you nagging God? What’s the difference? First of all, we need to pray according to the will of God.

As John tells us, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” 1 John 5:14-15

How can we be confident? The only way we can have confidence that God hears our prayers is if we have a relationship with Him. If you know Jesus then you know He loves you. If He loves you, this means He wants the best for you as His child. This is why we always pray for things that will please Him.

So, why doesn’t God always answer our prayers immediately? Even when we pray for His will, He doesn’t always answer immediately. Why? With each petition there can be many reasons why we don't receive microwave answers. How serious are you about what you request? There may be things that need to happen before the time is right. Your prayer could be right and sincere, but God may have something better for his child. And God may want to change some things in you before He answers. I am no theologian, but I'm old enough to know I need to ask for the right things. Which leads me to our next point regarding nagging prayers.

Notice what James tells us, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:3

When you pray, make sure you are asking in faith not flesh. Don't worry, if you are asking for the wrong thing, and asking in faith, the Holy Spirit will let you know.

It can be dangerous to keep nagging God for the wrong things. He may answer to show you it wasn't such a good idea. But it will be a good lesson if we don't blame God, and we learn from it. It is even more dangerous to go out on your own without consulting God! You may make it happen and get what you want, but it won't be good for you!

If you are patient in your trouble it stands to reason you will be persistent in prayer. I think that means we need to be patient in prayer! Don’t stand in front of the microwave and set it for "immediate answer" to your prayer.

I’ve got one of those high watt microwaves and I still have to wait for things to get done! I am so glad that God does not answer most of my prayers immediately. Sometimes we might ask with the right heart, but the mind hasn’t caught up. In other words, weigh your prayers against God’s will.

Right now I am searching for the right refrigerator because mine is dying. Because we live in a small home it must be the right dimensions. And, Ray says the right color! Oh...and cheap! I just want one that fits and works at this point. Breathe Deb, breathe, and ask patiently and wait patiently! Not all problems need an immediate (microwave) fix. Waiting is good for us, but persistence is even better!

You will never learn persistent prayer by giving up the first round. How desperate is your need? Does it line up with God's will for you? If you don’t know, then do some wrestling in prayer. I guarantee you'll find out.

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” Ephesians 6:18

God bless you,

Deb

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