Pleading in Persistent Prayer

A Holy Nagging

While it is true that some people pervert the purpose of prayer by asking for things that they shouldn’t, many Christians are way too passive and don’t ask for things they should. The problem with the way we pray is that so often we are too impatient and give up too quickly. We aren’t nearly persistent enough.

"God is not looking for people to be polite in prayer. He is not interested in passive, passionless platitudes."

Here is a surprising fact: God is not looking for people to be polite in prayer. He is not interested in passive, passionless platitudes, but rather in prevailing, perpetual and persevering prayer that pleads with Him to do the impossible. In other words, God wants you to be relentless in prayer! How do I know this? Because this is all over the place in the New Testament.

For instance, in Matthew 7:7 Christ says: “Ask, seek, knock!” Literally, in the Greek text, those are all present tense commands: Be asking, be seeking, be knocking. In other words, relentless, obsessive maybe even irritating persistence. Is that how you pray? Because praying like that is not only permitted, it is demanded.

And it’s very possible that certain sins and dilemmas in your life obstinately refuse to go away because you don’t ask, seek and knock enough nearly often or loud enough. You see, prayer is a holy nagging of God for the things that God alone can provide. And to prove it, listen to the parable of persistent prayer that Christ gives in Luke 11:5-8.

In this story the needy man who knocks on the door is you and God is a little bit like the man inside the house. Listen carefully:

Then [Christ] said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything…yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.”

Do you see that? Persistence, perseverance, tenacity, determination—a holy stubbornness, if you will, that refuses to quit and insists on being heard. Is that how you pray?

"To be persistent with God in prayer is a humble pleading with Him to do the absolutely impossible."

Now, don’t misunderstand—to be persistent doesn’t mean bratty or pushy. God’s infinite transcendence as God and His role as our Father always demands that we speak to Him with a profound reverence. But reverence doesn’t necessarily mean reserved. Reverence and persistence are not mutually exclusive. To be persistent with God in prayer is a humble pleading with Him to do the absolutely impossible.

The Poison of Pragmatism

I don’t know how many times I have heard people say about a struggle that they have: “I’ve prayed about it and nothing seems to change.”

Do you know what that is? That’s the subtle poison of pragmatism talking. Pragmatism is the philosophy that says: “Do what works best and discard the rest.” Implicit in that statement is the fact that because they’ve prayed once or twice or 10 times, or for a couple weeks that prayer doesn’t work. Therefore, prayer is ineffective and they need to try something else if they want results.

What they do not realize is that if they would only pray with persistence, God would “get up” and give them what they need—even if it is not what they originally asked for.

Desperate Pleading

In Luke 18 Christ gives another parable about desperate, persistent prayer. Look at verse 1: ”And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” Are you losing heart right now? Are you discouraged? Are you on the brink of despair and throwing in the towel? This parable is for you!

Here is a summary of the parable: in a certain city there was a judge that didn’t care about anybody. And a poor widow hassled him and nagged him every single day, looking for legal protection from an enemy that wouldn’t leave her alone. And the heartless judge wouldn’t do a thing—what does he care about some old woman and her problems?

And the woman—metaphorically speaking—called and emailed and knocked and petitioned and left messages every single day until finally the selfish judge gave her exactly what she wanted because he couldn’t stand seeing her face anymore! That’s the parable. And listen very carefully to what Christ says in verse 7 is the point of the parable:

“And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?”

Answer: yes, that is precisely what He will do! Yes He will bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night! You see, the point of the parable is not that God is like that selfish judge. Rather, the point is that the widow’s persistence—the nagging that irritated the unrighteous judge into action, is precisely the quality God is encouraging in you. You need to pray like that!

So the only question is: what is there in your life about which you need to be persistently praying? Is there something about which you need to cry out to God day and night? Something impossible, something debilitating, something paralyzing, something so difficult and unattainable and unachievable by human means that the only solution is the sovereign intervention of God?

The text is clear: don’t lose heart! Don’t despair! Don’t give up! Ask, seek, knock, plead, beg and nag! Because God is not after your courtesy or politeness in prayer, but your constancy and your persistence in prayer!

Jerod Gilcher

Jerod is the former College Pastor at Faith Bible Church. He is now the senior pastor at Christ Community Bible Church in Arlington, Texas. He and his wife Sarah have three daughters and he enjoys learning languages, particularly ancient languages. 

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