PERSISTENCE

 As part of His response to a disciple's plea of "Teach us to pray", Jesus sets up the following scenario:

“Suppose one of you goes to his friend at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 

And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Do not bother me. My door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ 

I tell you, even though he will not get up to provide for him because of his friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs." (Luke 11:5-8)

It seems like Jesus is drawing a contrast between God and this hypothetical friend who is in bed for the night.

First, God is more than a friend. Jesus' opening teaching about prayer is to address God as "Father" and He goes on to explain that God is a good Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children.

Second, the friend is being inconvenienced by the knocking and the request. As the all-powerful Creator of the universe, God is not inconvenienced one bit by our prayer requests. 

Finally, the friend gets up to answer the request - reluctantly - not out of friendship but because of the persistence of the man requesting bread. The Lord, on the other hand, answers our requests out of love.

And yet the point of the story is clearly to instruct believers to be bold and persistent in prayer. 

My prayers are not lacking in boldness, but my persistence could use some work.

Too often my prayer life resembles a kid sitting in a shopping cart as his mother pushes him up and down the aisles of Target: "Can I have this and this and this and this?" 

(And then I pout when I don't get my way: "You don't love me!") 

But none of those requests are really serious. They weren't even thought of until they were right in front of the kid's face. And the mom knows if she grants every request, the result will not be a happy kid, but rather a spoiled one.

So why does Jesus advocate for persistence in prayer? 

When I continually bring something in prayer before God I suppose it shows:

1. I am serious about wanting this. It is a priority in my mind and heart.
2. I have nowhere else to turn. I know God is the only One who can grant the request.

As I have been focused on my prayer life this week, I have been forced to admit to myself that it has been fairly shallow for quite some time.

Persistence drives prayer deep. 

Let's find some prayer requests worth persistently asking, seeking, and knocking.