Does God get Sick of Hearing My Prayers?

I got this question recently from a friend who battles a chronic illness:

I have been wondering about persistence in prayer vs. repetition of prayers. Does the Bible tell us to keep repeating the same prayers over and over? It seems like faith wouldn’t require that. I have mixed message from others and am not sure at this point. For example, I’m getting a little tired of praying for my healing over and over…and I am sure others are tired of praying for me to be healed! It seems selfish to me to keep asking for the same thing. By now, I am sure God has heard the prayers and he will heal me in his time anyway, right (or not heal me, if that is his plan)? So do I keep on asking for the same thing or do I just thank him for where I am and know that he’s got it?

Can you relate to those sentiments? I certainly can.

I have some things I have been praying about for years, and in some cases, decades. I can’t tell you the times I’ve wondered if God is sick and tired of hearing from me about this same stuff. Shouldn’t one-and-done praying be enough?

But all I have to do is go to the scriptures to find my answer.

Bottom line: Never stop praying. Never stop praying about what matters to you. Never stop praying about what matters to God. Never stop praying for what you believe God has promised you.

Never, ever stop praying.

Consider this promise from Jesus to all faithful intercessors:

Keep on asking for something to be given and it shall be given you. Keep on seeking, and you shall find. Keep on reverently knocking, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking for something to be given, keeps on receiving. And he who keeps on seeking, keeps on finding. And to him who keeps on reverently knocking, it shall be opened.  (Matthew 7:7-8 Wuest Translation)

Or how about these:

On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves; and give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. (Isaiah 62:6-7 NASB)

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge *said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? (Luke 18:1-7 NASB)

Here are a four reasons that praying repeatedly for the same thing, even over the decades, is a good practice.

One. Persistent prayer moves God.

The parable above about the widow and the wicked judge shows the opposite of how God responds to us. Jesus’ point is that if a poor widow can get justice from an uncaring judge through persistence alone, think how our loving God will respond to the persistent cries of his children.

Two. Persistent prayer models faith.

God is honored by our persistence because it demonstrates faith. To stop praying is to model a lack of faith. It shows we’ve given up on God and his Word to us. But to keep praying, even in the face of no apparent progress, models faith and trust. It shows God that we believe in his promises, even in discouraging circumstances.

Three. Some things cost more than others in prayer.

There are no limits to what God will do in response to prayer. Prayer can accomplish anything. But some requests cost more than others.

Here in Austin we’ve been praying for several years for God to end our drought and fill Lake Travis (a large lake just west of town) to its full level of 681. Slowly, and with several fluxuations in the lake level, Lake Travis has come up. Today it sits about three feet short of full. But it’s still not at the level we’ve all been praying for.

My point? Filling a lake and ending a drought costs a lot in prayer. God will do it if we persist, but it will cost us more time and sacrificial praying.

The Kingdom of God is like a great grocery store. You can purchase anything you find described in the Bible at God’s Kingdom store. But some things cost more than others. Prayer, persistent and faithful prayer, unrelenting prayer, fasting prayer, is how we purchase those things.

Four. Persistent prayer changes us.

Some friends and I have been praying for the healing of another friend for nearly a year. We’ve fasted, anointed her with oil, and sang and prayed over her on multiple occasions. And so far, our prayers have been unanswered. And yet, every time we pray for her we walk away with a greater faith, even though the answer hasn’t come. Why? We’re exercising our faith muscles. It’s the laboring before God in prayer, the wrestling with God (see Colossians 4:12), that grows us.

So stay at it. God is honoring your persistence. Never stop praying.