Persistence in Prayer

Meditation for the day taken from Everyday Prayer with John Calvin written by Donald McKim:

Scripture: Luke 11:5-13

We live in a world today when people seemingly have everything they want instantly. The modern conveniences of our world have taught us to demand what we want and to get what we want now. Waiting? Patience? These virtues seem to be things of by-gone days. Accordingly, perseverance and persistence are lacking in the hearts and minds of many people. Laboring diligently and pressing forward even when things seem difficult are not things people are very good at, it seems. I am concerned that these virtues have been lost, by and large, in our world.

What is more alarming is how they seem to be lost in the church among professing Christians. Perseverance and persistence in the faith is something that all professing Christians are called to do. We are to do that in our lives as we strive after holiness and godliness using all the outward means whereby Christ communicates the benefits of redemption (Westminster Shorter Catechism Q85; Prov. 2:1-5). That is to say, that all of life is to be lived with persistence and perseverance. Therefore, that attitude and determination must be applied to the subject of prayer.

There are two passages in the New Testament that speak to this matter. Both of them are from the lips of the Savior. First, Luke 18:1-8, in which we have the parable of the unjust judge. The parable opens with these words: "And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. The parable describes a woman who was being oppressed by an adversary. She sought justice from a judge -- an unjust judge who didn't respect God or man (18:2). Yet, the woman persisted by coming continually to secure justice for wrongs committed against her. Finally, the unjust judge relented. He gave in to her constant pleadings, albeit for wrong motives and intentions (18:4-5). The Savior uses this parable to teach us two things. First, we are the woman who ought to pray persistently. Second, unlike the unjust judge, we are pleading with a just judge (18:7-8), one who cares for his people and bids them to cast all burdens on him (1 Peter 5:7). The lesson is obvious. As children of God, we must labor day and night with great persistence and perseverance before the just judge who cares for his people.

The second passage is the one under consideration. In Luke 11:5-13, we have the story of a man who has a need that only his neighbor can fulfill. The need is one that will lead to disgrace for his lack of preparedness to host a friend who has come to him on a journey. To rectify the matter, the homeowner goes next door to his neighbor and pleads with him for bread to serve his traveling friend. This act takes place in the middle of the night. The neighbor refuses to help and offers his reasons, yet, "because of his impudence" (11:8), the neighbor finally gets up and gives the man in need bread. The term translated "impudence" (ESV) comes from a Greek word that can mean "insensitive to what is proper" in the negative sense. Here the term is being used by Luke in a positive sense, meaning "persistence, tenacious insistence without regard to time, place, or person." The idea the Savior is communicating is that we must pray this way for the things we need. He goes on to say, "ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Most of us know what it means to seek something. Perhaps we are seeking the lost car keys or essential documents or some other item. We seek until we find it. We don't give up. Prayer must be this way. Too often, we give up in prayer too early. We are not persistent. We do not persevere in prayer for that which we need.

Calvin wrote, "There is no reason for the faithful to grow weary at heart, if they do not at once obtain their requests, or if what they ask for seems difficult to achieve, for, if you can put pressure on men by importunity in asking, when a man will not do a thing for you willingly, we should have no doubt that God will attend to our prayer, if we persist at it with resolution, and do not let our hearts faint through delay or difficulty." (85). The Puritans would talk about "praying through the problem." That is, to not merely offer a prayer here or there but to persist in prayer until there is a resolution. Many of us have many things to pray for, and many things seem unheard or unanswered. Perhaps we are praying for a lost family member, or a church building, or more holiness and growth in grace. Maybe we are praying for a friend or relative who is sick or suffering from a debilitating disease. Perhaps we are praying about a particular sin struggle or temptation that seems to be getting the best of us. Whatever it is, persevere and persist. The just judge of all the earth loves his people and is kind and gracious to them. He hears. He knows. He sees those things and will be gracious to those who plead with him persistently in prayer.