Day 6 – Be persistent 

Luke 18:1 – Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. (MSG) 

Persistence is a necessary part of praying together. The story Jesus told in Luke 18 was about the unjust judge who is persuaded by persistence. Afterward, He asked his disciples: “So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?” (MSG) 

Persistence in prayer evidences our faith and patient trust that a loving, willing God will respond to us, just as Jesus assured His disciples. “Keep asking, and it shall be given you; keep seeking, and ye shall find; keep knocking, and it shall be opened unto you,” He told them in Matthew 7. “For every one that keeps asking receives; and they that keep seeking find; and to those that keep knocking it shall be opened.” (ISV) 

Leanne Payne says, “The humble stance of waiting on an awesome God who speaks to His people in His time and in His ways…combats our attempts to live by sight rather than by faith.” (LP, 157) 

Hebrews 11:6 adds: “for he that comes to God must believe that He is (God), and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (NKJV) The Apostle Paul simply urges us to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. 5:17 KJV) 

God’s people, persistently praying together in faith, hearing God speak, produce what Stephen and Alex Kendrick call “…extraordinary prayer (that) can yield extraordinary results.” (BPFP, 184) 

The Rule of St. Benedict: Prologue includes these words: “This, then, is the beginning of my advice: make prayer the first step in anything you attempt. Persevere and do not weaken in that prayer. Pray with confidence, because God, in His love and forgiveness, has counted on us as his own sons and daughters.” (SBR, 1) 

Pray this prayer today: “Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the faith and freedom to pray extraordinary prayers together. May we see the needs of others, our city, our church and our nation as you see them. Give us the patience and persistence to never give up – to ask and keep on asking, to seek and keep on seeking, to knock and keep on knocking – until Your will is done on earth, just as it is in Heaven. For we know that effectual and fervent prayers of righteous men and women avail much. In Jesus Name, Amen.”