The Bible says in Ephesians 6:18 “Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers.” 
The questions I hear the most are: Why should I do that?  Why should I be persistent in my prayers?  If God wants to answer and He doesn’t do it, why should I keep praying?  I want to take it from three different angles over the next few days:

            1.  Why should I keep on praying until I get an answer?

            2.  How long should I keep on praying?

            3.  What do I do while I’m waiting for the answer, while I am praying?

1.  WHY DO I KEEP ON PRAYING EVEN THOUGH I DON’T GET AN ANSWER?

There are four Biblical reasons: 

            1.  Persistent praying

Praying over and over and over – focuses our attention.  When you pray a prayer request over and over, it’s not to remind God.  He doesn’t need to be reminded.  It’s to remind yourself who’s the source of your answer, who’s the source of all your needs.  Persistent prayer is not blackmail where you finally beat up God until He gives up and answers your prayers.  That’s not what He’s saying.  Persistent prayer keeps you focused.

If every prayer you ever prayed was instantly answered, two things would be true.  One, in your life, prayer would become a weapon of destruction.  Two, if every prayer your prayed was instantly answered, you’d never think about God.  Because God would become a vending machine to you – put in the prayer, get out the candy.  You don’t think about vending machines.  You don’t think, “Look how well designed this vending machine is.  Look at what great things it can give me.”  All you care about is the results.  If you prayed and every time you prayed you instantly got results, all you’d think about is the blessing.  God wants you to think about the Blessor.  “I want you to focus on Me. I’ll hold back the answer to force you to focus on Me.  I am the source of everything you need.” 

Jesus said in Matthew 6:6 (ESV paraphrase) “Here’s what I want you to do.  Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role play before God.”  He’s saying when you’re playing get alone by yourself.  Have you noticed that when you pray in front of other people you pray differently?  You role-play.  You often take on another voice!  “Our most gracious heavenly Father…” And the Father in heaven is going, “Who?” 

I’ve got three kids.  If ever my kids walk in the door and say, “O mighty omnipotent creator of our family, thou please that we beseech thee that thou would give us an allowance.”  I will know they’re role-playing.  Likely, because of our relationship, they’ll say, I need toys, food or cash!”  I can understand that. 

He says get off by yourself.  Be honest to God.  Be there as simply and as honestly as you can manage.  The focus will shift from you to God.  You will begin to sense His grace.  The focus shifts.  God wants us to recognize Him as the source of everything that we need.  Whatever you need, He’s the source.  You should be asking Him for it, not looking to other people to meet your needs.  We like to look to everybody else.  We look to our families to make us feel good, to our friends to make us feel good.  We want to look to the government, society, to make us feel good.  God says, “Why aren’t you looking to Me. 

“Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God.  Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God.”  When you’re caught up in your problems you’re not thinking about God.  You end of thinking more about self than God.  That person ignores who God is and what He’s doing.

Psalm 105 “Look to the Lord and ask Him for help.”  That’s what persistent praying is.  It focuses us on God. 

Have a great week.
Blessings,

Danny