Why Must I Persist?

The Lord has been faithful to answer my prayers quickly over the last six years. At times, He has responded so fast that when a situation persists, it’s easy to conclude it’s just not His will. I put it down and started to consider the situation hopeless, guessing I was just going to have to endure.

Prayer is a vital component of every Christian's walk, but for the intercessor, it is the essence of their ministry. He inspires me by His word, reveals truth in the hearts of men and my own, and shows His perspective. He has taught me how to pray. My prayers have been bold, and He’s often used me to answer them myself, taking me to high places.

But life gets busy, and we get spiritually sloppy. We get to those heights, and He says, “The level of obedience you’ve been walking in was enough to get you up the moderate incline at the base of the hill, but honey, it won’t take you up the steep cliffs where the air is thin. Return to the prayer deck.”

He is good to remind us that we need to return to His side for a new lesson when things aren’t working like they used to. This morning I set my alarm for 5:30 am, but I was up before it went off. My spirit was ready. I lit a candle to remind myself to keep a flame going. I wrote a few prayers, read a few devotions, and listened to a few songs.

The strongest nudge came in the area of persistent prayers.

Luke 18:1

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.

Earlier that morning, I had to refill the honey jar from the big container we keep in the cabinet. It was thick because it had begun to crystallize. Even though it only took 5 minutes or less, the sluggish pour grieved my high-powered soul. Watching it move down the side at a snail’s pace frustrated me. I considered the biblical matriarchs and what was often required by their hand to get a little honey. I don’t even have to go to the store to get it; my husband buys it in bulk. I neither have to hunt for it nor cultivate it, but there I was, annoyed I had to wait…

Persisting in prayer feels a lot like watching that honey meander down the side of that jug. We wanna shake it or even submerge it in warm water to provoke it. I didn’t even realize I'd been questioning God in my heart, “Why is persistence necessary? You have demonstrated that You hear me and respond.”

The answer was tucked in one of my devotions: “So that you can push through any barriers of sin or unbelief that may be keeping you from receiving His blessings.”

Unbelief. There it is.

God doesn’t ask us to persist in prayer because He is testing our mettle. Otherwise, we’d be so proud we squeezed it out of Him. In part, it’s about dealing with our unbelief. It’s been easy for me to pray about certain things, especially when I know they are close to the Lord’s heart and He is ready. It’s more difficult when the answer depends on the willingness of others to participate, and you consider them hopeless. So the expectation goes to the trash can; you pray because you’re supposed to, but the belief is gone.

The Lord encouraged me to ask again, and to keep asking every morning, not to change the situation, but to strengthen my faith and belief so that He will hear and answer.

Mark 11:24

Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Mountain, you are about to move in Jesus' name, amen.