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Persistency In Prayer

As Christians, We have to be Persistent in Prayer.

In this passage there seems to be three different levels or intensity of prayer.

How do we know that we are to be persistent in prayer from this passage?

Ask, Seek, Knock-

I want to think about it in the context of finding an unknown address. When you are looking for an unknown address one of the first things you will do is

Ask For Directions.

After you get what you believe to be reliable directions, you will get in your car and drive to that address or you will being to

Seek Out The Address

Now that you are driven around town and found the address you were looking for there is still one more step. You need to know with proof positive that the address you have is correct. What do you have to do? You get out of the car and go up to the house and

Knock On The Door.

You might call knocking on the door the last step in seeking.

While this idea of asking about an address and seeking out that address and then finally confirming the address does show the idea of presistency, the understanding of this passage in the Greek also gives weight to the idea of presistency in prayer. Most English translators don’t do a good job of translating these phrase of Ask, Seek, and Knock. The Greek carries the idea of Ask and keep on Asking. Seek and keep on Seeking and Knock and keep on Knocking. In other words, don’t give up.

Daniel’s Prayer from Daniel 10

In Daniel 8, the prophet has a dream. Daniel 8:15 tells us that Daniel prayed to understand the dream. In Daniel 9, we find him praying for the people. Then in Daniel 10, Daniel finally receives the answer to his prayer; the interpretation of the dream. But Daniel did not receive an answer to his prayer immediately he had to wait 21 days. Why? Because the devil “gummed up” the works. The devil fought with the messenger to the point that Michael had to come and help the messenger fight the battle. But Daniel persisted and got an answer to his prayer.

Sometime, okay a lot of the times, we pray to get answers to our prayers and it seems that God did not even hear us. The story of Jesus from Matthew and the book of Daniel instruction us to be persistent in prayer.

Trust in Prayer

One thing that helps us to be persistent in prayer is that we

Trust In The One To Whom We Are Praying!

Jesus goes on in the next verse to tell us that if you ask, seek and knock that you will get your answer, find what your looking for and the door will be opened to you. Jesus is giving us reasons to just him. Reason to persist in prayer. We trust God is going to allow us to receive answers, find what we seek for and doors will be swung open for us.

Have you ever asked someone to do something for you and it seems like they are never going to do what you asked them? You ask one final time, and they reassure you with a “don’t worry I got this” attitude?

Finally gives an illustration to show them what trusting the father is really like.

Jesus says, “which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?”

Of course the answer is none. Jesus is telling us that he will give us good gifts. You see God is sooooo much better than the best earthly father.

Answer To Prayer

Reasons Prayers Go Unanswered

There are many reasons that prayers go unanswered.

Timing Is Not Right

What is asked for would do harm

Sometimes A Lack of Faith

We don’t understand the answer

We don’t like the answer

One of the main reasons I believe that prayers go unanswered is because

They Are Not Prayed.

Let’s look at verse 11

Notice a couple of things

How the verse starts…

if you then

What happens if you don’t pray?

How does the verse end....

your Father who is in heaven gives good things to those who ask.

What happens if you don’t ask?

If you don’t pray and you don’t ask, your prayers will not be answered.

James 4:1-2

English Standard Version Chapter 4

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

Today, I ask you what do you need from God?

Let me encourage you to be persistent. Trust God and be bold enough to ask, seek and knock for your Father who is in heaven gives good things to those who ask him!