Persistent Prayer

Since prayer is, by nature, personal, we often want to know how things are going to turn out, even before we start praying. We wonder if God will actually answer our prayer. Maybe not as dramatic as some stories, but still if we’re honest, we would like an answer to our prayer. Why else ask? 

Luke 18:1 says, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”

The fact is, of the 650 prayers in the Bible, 450 of them were answered, at least as the accounts were recorded. Others might have been answered later, but there are indications that—no—God does not always answer a prayer. And this is where our human perspectives can hamper our ability to see the full picture.

Isaiah 55:8 says, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.”

From our limited perspective at this moment in time, we might not understand how or if God is answering our prayers. Remember Job and his friends prayed and tried to figure out for some time just what God was up to in this suffering man’s life. The most interesting takeaway from the Book of Job is that, in the end, when God addresses Job, he never once tells him why he suffered.

He basically puts Job in his place by saying that He, God, knows and understands everything, and we obviously do not. It’s worth noting that in Job’s case, God restored everything to him and more. As we read in Luke 18:1, part of our responsibility in praying is perseverance. We’re not supposed to act like children and throw a fit if we don’t get our way.

In those times when we think God is slow in answering us, it’s necessary for us to have some patience. Nowhere are we promised a quick answer or even an answer at all. Sometimes we just have to have faith that God will work everything out for us. 

Let’s pray. 

Father God, like Job, we want to trust you no matter what. Even if an answer to our prayer is slow, we love you anyway and we thank you that you love us for eternity. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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