Wednesday, January 03, 2018

The Power of Persistent Prayer

I was asked recently, "How many times should we pray to God about the same thing?" God has given me the word that we need to be persistent in our prayers. Jesus tells us this in Luke 11:5-9 in the parable of the man who went to his friend at midnight for three loaves of bread. The Bible says that even if the man wouldn't open the door for the sake of friendship, he would open it because his neighbor was persistent.   The Bible says ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, and knock and the door will be open.  The NLT translation says keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking.  There's power in persistent prayer!

The story of Hannah praying to conceive a child is a story of persistence in prayer (1 Samuel 1:1-28). Hannah didn't talk back to her  rival, Peninnah who made fun of her for being childless; nor her partner, Elkanah who thought he was better for her than 10 sons; nor her priest, Eli who thought she was drunk.  Hannah talked to Jehovah Jireh, her great and awesome Provider!  And soon Hannah conceived Samuel, one of the greatest prophets who ever lived.

The widow pleading before the unjust judge for justice is another example of persistence paying off (Luke 18:1-8). The widow had to go to a corrupt judge.  We can go to our heavenly Father (Ephesians 3:14).  The widow was a stranger.  We are God's children (John1:12).  The widow had no access to the judge.  We have constant access to God (Hebrews 10:19).  The widow came to the court of law.  We come to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).  The widow had no lawyer.  We have Jesus as our advocate (1 John 2:1).  The widow had to wear down the judge before he really listened.  We already know that God hears our requests (Psalm 4:3).  If this poor woman received what she deserved from a corrupt judge, how much more will we receive from our loving heavenly Father?  As Jesus illustrated, persistence pays off.  Keep on praying!

Romans 12:12 says, "Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer."

We know that God does not always answer prayers the way we want Him to or expect Him to, however, the good news is that in these instances of persistent prayer, God said "yes"! This suggests that we have not, in many cases, because we ask not persistently. 

When it comes to prayer, it's important that we are consistently and persistently asking God for the lost to be saved and for our prayer requests to line up with His will for our lives! Prayer is not getting your will in heaven.  It is getting God's will on earth.  1 John 5:14-15 states, "And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him...."  We serve a God who is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all we can ask or think!

What are you asking God for? Post your prayer requests and prayers in the Jesus Saves Ministries group, and keep on posting them, and keep on praying! Jesus saves!


The prayers of the righteous availeth much!!



This group of intercessors lifts up the names of those who are sick & shut in, bereaved, and/or just standing in the need of prayer. We are fasting and praying for God’s will to be done in our homes, churches, schools, and communities. We are asking for souls to be saved, broken marriages and relationships mended, people healed and delivered of their afflictions, and spiritual growth for Christians. Become a prayer warrior. Post your prayers, prayer requests and join our discussions or start your own discussion. James 5:16 states the prayers of the righteous availeth much! Join us in praying for the unsaved, our communities and the nation.

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