Persistence

 

I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. Luke 11:8

I’m writing this from booth in a restaurant in Tulsa, OK. I’m here all weekend teaching a church about prayer. Thus, it’s appropriate that this verse is about persistence in praying.

This is a story of opposites. Jesus used the example of the sleepy and irritated friend as a picture of what God isn’t like:

The friend was asleep in bed. God never rests.
The friend wasn’t concerned about his neighbor. God is always concerned about you.
The friend tried to ignore his neighbor. God never ignores you.
The friend only answered the door because of the irritating persistence of his neighbor. God doesn’t get irritated. It honors him when we pray until he answers.

Today after one of the services a woman asked me if she was bothering God by asking so much. Based on Jesus’ teaching here, how would you answer her?

Remember, we are not God’s burdensome neighbors. We are not bothersome to him. And, God isn’t a grumpy and irritated neighbor who wants us to leave him alone.

We are his children and when we pray, when we ask, and when he knock on his door, we are doing exactly what he commanded us to do.

Never give up on a prayer. Never stop praying. The God of heaven stands poised to come through just for you. Ask and keep asking. Knock and keep knocking. Seek and keep seeking.

He will answer.

 

 

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