Persistent Prayer part 1
Category: Faithblogs
Have you ever prayed for something on a regular basis and then, because nothing seemed to happen (no answer was forthcoming) you gave up?
For the last year my wife and I have had our house on the market. It’s a nice, big house, with plenty of space, on a 2 acre parcel of land close to town. Yet, for some reason it hasn’t sold. Obviously the housing market slump has not helped, but our house has been well priced compared to similar houses in the area.
Over this past year we have prayed many times that this house will sell – my kids pray for this every evening before bed. It’s not like we don’t need the money as much of our money is tied up in this house – money that could be used for kingdom work. So what’s the deal? We have a house for sale. We pray that house sells. It doesn’t sell. What’s with that? After all, we haven’t just gotten a Realtor and left it to them… we’ve prayed. Many times!
So why hasn’t the house sold? There’s a story in the Bible that I want you to read…
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:1-8
There’s a belief out there that says if I pray and leave it with God then whatever I have asked for will come to pass. And there are some believers that would tell you that you only have to pray once, that praying more than once is not praying in faith.
Over this past year I have questioned whether God is really listening or if he is really that bothered about us selling our house? I have had times when I have felt like giving up praying for the house to sell, especially when two offers (potential sales) fell through. I have asked God soul searching questions like, “what’s going on?” and “why are we stuck with this house?” 
And many times I have said to myself, “what’s the point in praying – nothing seems to be happening.”
A recent personal study shed some light on this issue for me. So, this week I want to share with you some of my findings and look at the parable above with the question in mind, “What is persistent prayer and why should believers be persistent in prayer?”
Christian St John M.Div, BChM, ACS
March, 2009
Picture by Marcos Santos
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