Persistent in Prayer

“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.” Matthew 7:7 NLT

Some may take offense to this, but most Christians do not have a consistent prayer life. These same Christians also struggle with being persistent in prayer. If you were not offended by the opening lines to this devotional then you are one of the many who do struggle, as I myself, with being persistent in prayer and praying consistently. There have been countless numbers of books written on prayer over the years. Sermon series, lectures, class studies, small groups, and seminars have all addressed these concerning issues on prayer. Although much progress has been made with lives changed, we still have a problem with consistency and more importantly with being persistent in prayer. Perhaps we spend too much time on intellectual and educational pursuits that we miss the simple points of Jesus’ teaching.

“Consistent” and “persistent” may appear similar in meaning, but are vastly different in action. Being consistent in prayer involves a regular pattern of a set time and routine on a continual basis. Persistent in prayer constitutes a deeper involvement as being determined, steadfast, resolute, and not giving up. Our Lord longs for our persistence in praying. He desires that His desires become our desires, and that we pray accordingly. Through persistence in prayer when asking for His will to be done, God will answer as He only gives us good things. “For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Mt.7:8 nlt)

When Jesus spoke those words to His disciples in Matthew chapter seven, He was emphasizing the importance of persistent praying. ‘Ask,’ ‘seek,’ and ‘knock,’ are in the present tense and are commands of God. They are in ascending order to note their importance. We are never to give up praying the Lord’s will for our lives, but to be persistent. Asking, seeking, and knocking, we are to be persistent in prayer.