Why You Need To Pray Persistently

 You can learn how to pray persistently from children.

If you have kids,
or have spent any time with kids
you know they ask for stuff and they ask a lot!
Their persistence yields many yeses.

 I’ve got two kids but one was much more persistent than the other.

He’d ask.”Can I have it?”
(whatever “it” was he couldn’t live without)
“No,” I’d tell him.

He’d wait about a minute and ask,
“Can I have it now?”
“No!” I’d answer.

He’d wait about ten minutes and ask again,
“How ’bout now? Can I have it now?”

He’d keep this up for days or even weeks
if it was something he really wanted.

Honestly, he got a lot more stuff than his brother did,
because he was so pleasantly persistent.

Today, that kid is a mighty pray-er.
He goes after prayers like he used to go after
a new toy
or driver’s license
or raise in his allowance.

When your kids ask for things,
you’re likely to say yes to them if you can
because you love them and
want them to have good stuff.

But, you won’t set them up to fail!

There were times when I held a wonderful gift in my hand for my boys,
but I couldn’t give it to them because
they weren’t old enough or mature enough to handle it.

Perhaps they needed training
or experience
or strength to manage my gift.

You can’t let a 6 year old have a driver’s license.
You can’t let a 10 year old handle a chain saw.
Turns out you can hardly give money to a kid at any age!

It’s always been my intention to give gifts or opportunities to my child, but
I had to wait for the proper training to be completed or
the proper timing of circumstances
or the appropriate size to be reached.

That is how God looks at you and I.
His hands are FULL of stuff and opportunities to bestow on us, but
he doesn’t want to set us up to fail.

God is setting us up for the best timing,
as he trains us
and waits for us to be mature enough to
handle his gifts.

Unfortunately, we can slow down the process.

Some of us get into such a mess that it takes time to restore us.
Hearts need to be softened
Minds need to be retrained.

When I was a little girl, my grandma gave me a cameo necklace.
It was the most beautiful thing and it was strung with such a fine silver chain
that you could hardly see it when I wore it.

I’m ashamed to tell you that I didn’t take very good care of it.
I threw it in my pink cardboard jewelry box and
the next time I went to wear it, it was a tangled mess.

It took persistence to get all the knots unwound.
Honestly, the temptation to throw it out
rather than spend the time untangling that mess was huge.

When we are a mess, the enemy whispers in your ear,
“What a wreck you are.”
“You are worthless.”
“Give up and toss in the towel”
“You are a lost cause.”

All lies from the enemy, Girlfriend.

But God.
Maybe my favorite two words in the world.
But, God.
But, God wants to restore you back to wholeness.
To untangle your mess and redeem your life.

KEEP PRAYING PERSISTENTLY!

You have good company and excellent models.

In Judges 16, Samson’s strength was restored.
In John 21, Jesus restored Peter to greater position than before his crucifixion.
King David was restored after his indiscretion with Bathsheba.
In the book of Ruth, Naomi was restored from bitterness to joy.

Relationships were restored after fallouts and betrayals.
Think about Joseph and his brothers
Jacob and Esau,
Paul and Mark.

You are not beyond hope.
Pray persistently for a But God intervention.

When I was learning to fly airplanes,
My flight instructor said, “I will let this aircraft get out of your control,
but I will never let it get out of mine.”

Your life may be out of your control, but it’s never out of God’s.

Be persistent when you pray.
God hears you and is certainly at work
putting everything in place for the gift or opportunity to be revealed. 

Lord God Almighty, You know my every need and desire. Hear my prayer today and keep my heart steady for your intervention in this situation. I know you only want the very best for me, but I grow weary in the waiting. Hold me in the palm of your hand as I wait. Reassure me that you are at work. Let me rest as I ready myself for your answer to my prayer. In Jesus Name. Amen.