“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.” (Luke 18:1)

I looked out the window and saw the mailman across the street, so I decided to meet him on my porch. Watching him work his way from house to house, I heard him talking to himself. As he came onto my front walk, I realized that he had a hands-free device and was engaged in a phone conversation. He thrust a handful of mail in my direction without any form of greeting, turned and walked away.  I had a similar response then to the way I feel whenever I am at the grocery store and the cashier is having a personal conversation with another store employee. I want to say, “Hey, I am here. Pay attention to me.”  I think that is also a good indicator as to how some people pray, at times viewing themselves as God’s faithful customer. Although they may not have had a good conversation with Him for a while, when they do have a need – they expect His close attention with immediate results.

Evangelist D. L. Moody told the story of two Christian women who were burdened for their unsaved husbands. They agreed on a fundamental plan that they would each spend an hour every day praying for the salvation of their men. After seven years, they could see no progress. They were discouraged and debated giving up. But the women committed themselves to lifelong perseverance and rededicated themselves to the task. Three years later, one of the women was awakened in the night by her husband who was in great distress about his soul. As soon as the sun rose, she hurried off toward her friend’s house to tell her that God was about to answer her prayers. She was astonished to meet her friend coming from the opposite direction with the same news. Ten years of unyielding prayer was crowned with the conversion of both husbands on the same day.

In teaching His disciples about prayer, Jesus told the Parable of the Persistent Friend. He said: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat. And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ ‘But I tell you this–though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11:5-10). This is not the only time that Jesus encouraged persistence in prayer. He wants us to keep praying for what we need, even if it seems to be taking a long time for our prayer to be answered.

In the United States, a National Day of Prayer is held annually on the first Thursday of May when citizens are asked “to turn to God in prayer and meditation.” While observances such as these cannot be minimized, God’s expectation is that we personally pray a bit more regularly. The Apostle Paul said that we should “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Can we become too bothersome as we repetitively petition God for answers to prayer?  I don’t think so. In the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), Jesus modeled that we should pray for “our daily bread” to fulfill our basic needs. Included in those are nutrition, warmth, security and physical well-being. When you are praying for the needs of others, be assured that God does not get bored with your recurring requests. If you maintain a prayer list – know that it’s not about needing to remind God, but it’s more about the continued connection you are maintaining with Him. He wants to have an ongoing relationship with you, not just a “when all else fails – then pray” association.  Nothing is more pleasing to our Father in heaven than direct, unrelenting, and persevering prayer. It keeps us humble and demonstrates our total dependence on Him.

REFLECTION:  What kind of things can happen in our lives that can cause us to lose hope and fail to maintain consistent prayers? Can you think of an example where you prayed for a very long time and eventually got an answer to that prayer in a different way that you expected? How would you reassure others who have become discouraged because they feel their prayers have gone without response?

A NEW LOOKUP  DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT., MAY 13, 2017.  COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.