Persistence in Prayer
Dear Friends in Christ,
Prayer can be many things, but powerful prayer is "persistent" prayer.
The word "Persistence" means, "Stubborn or enduring continuance, as in a chosen course or purpose". Stubbornness doesn't seem to be a Christian quality, and yet when applied to Christian conduct or prayer, apparently it is.
Another unusual term that our Lord gives us as a good mode of conduct when it comes to prayer is "Importunity". This idea is even more unlikely than stubbornness. The dictionary definition includes, "To trouble with repeated requests or demands. Demanding with urgency. To trouble or annoy".
Who would have thought that Jesus would recommend that we "annoy" Him with our prayer requests, "demanding" that He answer us, because of the urgency of the situation that we feel? And yet in these verses, all these things are true. Jesus is waiting to answer our prayers. And we can come to Him without shyness in any situation of urgency or emergency that we feel. Praise His Holy Name !!
God Bless you as you consider these things.
In Christ..brother bob...<><
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1 Th 5:16-18 (KJV)
Rejoice evermore.
{17} Pray without ceasing.
{18} In every thing give thanks:
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Luke 11:5-10 (KJV)
And he said unto them,
Which of you shall have a friend,
and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him,
Friend, lend me three loaves;
{6} For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me,
and I have nothing to set before him?
{7} And he from within shall answer and say,
Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed;
I cannot rise and give thee.
{8} I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend,
yet because of his importunity {Grk=shameless persistence},
he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
{9} And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
{10} For every one that asketh receiveth;
and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
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Luke 18:1-8 (KJV)
And he spake a parable unto them to this end,
that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; {2} Saying,
There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
{3} And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying,
Avenge me of mine adversary.
{4} And he would not for a while:
but afterward he said within himself,
Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
{5} Yet because this widow troubleth me,
I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
{6} And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
{7} And shall not God avenge his own elect,
which cry day and night unto him,
though he bear long with them?
{8} I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.
Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh,
shall he find faith on the earth?
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Jer 29:11-14a (KJV)
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil,
to give you an expected end.
{12} Then shall ye call upon me,
and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
{13} And ye shall seek me, and find me,
when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
{14} And I will be found of you, saith the LORD:
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Mat 15:21-28 (KJV)
Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
{22} And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts,
and cried unto him, saying,
Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David;
my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
{23} But he answered her not a word.
And his disciples came and besought him, saying,
Send her away; for she crieth after us.
{24} But he answered and said,
I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
{25} Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
{26} But he answered and said,
It is not meet[Grk=proper] to take the children's bread, and cast it to dogs.
{27} And she said, Truth, Lord:
yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
{28} Then Jesus answered and said unto her,
O woman, great is thy faith:
be it unto thee even as thou wilt.
And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
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Gen 32:24-32 (KJV)
And Jacob was left alone;
and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
{25} And when he saw that he prevailed not against him,
he touched the hollow of his thigh;
and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
{26} And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh.
And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
{27} And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
{28} And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel:
for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
{29} And Jacob asked him, and said,
Tell me, I pray thee, thy name.
And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?
And he blessed him there.
{30} And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel:
for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
{31} And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him,
and he halted upon his thigh.
{32} Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank,
which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day:
because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.
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Psa 55:16-17 (KJV)
As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
{17} Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud:
and he shall hear my voice.
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2 Cor 12:7-10 (KJV)
And lest I should be exalted above measure
through the abundance of the revelations,
there was given to me a thorn in the flesh,
the messenger of Satan to buffet me,
lest I should be exalted above measure.
{8} For this thing I besought the Lord three times,
that it might depart from me.
{9} And he said unto me,
My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
{10} Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches,
in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake:
for when I am weak, then am I strong.
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Eph 6:18-19 (TLB)
Pray all the time.
Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit's wishes.
Plead with him, reminding him of your needs,
and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere.
{19} Pray for me, too,
and ask God to give me the right words
as I boldly tell others about the Lord
and as I explain to them that his salvation is for the Gentiles too.
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