Read: Read Luke 18:1-8
Devotion: What is the longest you’ve ever consistently prayed for something? I know several parents of adult children who have prayed for their children’s salvation consistently for multiple decades even though their children are seemingly no closer to the Lord than when they began praying for them.
I know others who have been praying for a new job for many months and despite several interviews have yet to find one.
I also know some who have given up praying for certain things because of how long they had prayed and that they just assumed that God’s answer to their prayer was “no.”
Many however—and I know I’m guilty of this—often ‘soft’ quit when it comes to our long-term prayers. What I mean by that is that we don’t necessarily resolve in our minds, “Ok, I’m not praying for that anymore, I give up.” Rather, instead of making a habit to pray for that request, we simply, over time, neglect to pray for it.
Maybe we’re zealous in our prayer life for the first couple days or weeks but then that zeal fades away, and instead of making our request every day, we eventually forget to pray for it. Sometimes, when it has been a while since we’ve asked God for that particular request, we feel guilty because we know that we should have been praying regularly for it.
Why is this the case? Why do some saints keep praying persistently? And why do we stop praying for something after only a short period? The answer has to do with our faith. When we feel guilty for not praying, our conscience is pointing us in a biblical direction.
The Bible over and over again testifies to the fact that God loves when his people pray and that he hears and answers them without fail (vv. 7-8; Ps. 102:16-17; Prov. 15:29; 1 Pet. 3:12). God doesn’t always answers our prayers in the ways that we expect or even want, but he does always answer them in the way that is best.
Think of Paul and His thorns. He received a resounding “no” to his request for their removal, and yet that answer was exactly what he needed (2 Cor. 12:8-9). Sometimes that answer is “Wait, trust in me and my timing.” This is the case of the parent praying for their child’s salvation. As far as their child is still unsaved and alive, they haven’t received a definitive yes or no from God yet.
The return of the Lord is the chief example of this. We are to pray for Christ’s return, but we’re also called to wait for that day because we don’t know the day or the hour (Rev. 22:20; Matt. 24:36). What do we do as we wait? We trust in God. This trust is otherwise known as faith. Faith in God’s goodness, God’s plan, God’s provision, and God’s Word that tells us that He listens to His peoples’ prayers. Faith that God can do far more than we can even ask or think (Eph. 3:20).
How is that faith displayed in our waiting? In our faithfulness to his commands, like praying. That is the parable of the widow. As she persistently laid her case before the judge, we are to persistently lay our cares upon the Lord. If even an ungodly judge takes up a widow’s case after her persistent pestering even though he didn’t want to, how much more will our righteous and just Father in heaven hear and answer the cries of those whom He loves? How much more reason and assurance do we have over the widow to go to God with our constant cares?
We can’t become entitled and prideful and think that we deserve a definitive answer from God immediately. We are to humbly go before him with our request, trusting that he truly is good and that he truly does work all things together for good for those who are called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28). So keep praying for that lost sibling or child. Keep praying for that new job. Keep praying according to His revealed will, leaving the secret things to the Lord and trusting in His good pleasure (Deut. 29:29).
Ponder and Pray: Consider your longtime prayer requests. Have there been times when you’ve had gaps in your praying for that thing? Finish your time with the Lord by asking God for one of your long-term requests.
