(a 3 minute read)   I am sharing this with you as it seems to me that somehow we’ve misunderstood the term ‘Persistent Prayer’. It does seem like an audacious claim especially coming from a layman like me, which I am. I am a bit worried of your reaction to this intro, but I kindly ask that you read through it before you pass a decision, please and thank you. This will make perfect sense as it should align with the nature and with the character of the Living God that we believe in, worship, and lift up prayers to.

When we talk about Persistent Prayer, we are typically thinking that we should be persistent in lifting up the same prayer to God so that the Lord would grant what we are asking. This comes in the form of me personally praying the same prayer to God, over and over; as in every morning or evening, whenever my prayer time is. Prayer lists are very popular as it helps me remember or at least not forget to mention some-one, or some-thing in my prayers. For example; when I am sick, or if I’ve lost my job, I make sure that not only I am the one persisting in prayer, but I make sure to pass my request to my friends, my prayer worriers and not only to my church but to churches that my friends go to.

Petitioning God is biblical indeed, but how we carry it out is somewhat not necessarily what the Lord is hoping for!

I am not saying I know what the Lord hopes for or does not hope for, but I do believe that the Bible is indeed a clear indicator on what our Creator desires.

To emphasize, the community of believers perceives Persistent Prayer to be the repetition of a ‘certain request’, not only by the requester, but by as many other believers as would offer up this same prayer. Why? For we use the term ‘answered prayer’ rather persistently. You must admit it feels ever so great to claim that this thing that just happened is because I/we asked, and hallelujah the Lord granted it. Therefore, persistent prayer pays off……….. I know I know, this makes it sound awful in a way, but if we are honest with ourselves, indeed answered prayers makes us feel great, that’s why we celebrate them. Yes of course it is to give glory to the Lord, but at the same time we’re like proud of ourselves for if we did not pray so fervently, you never know, maybe it would not have come true……..

Wait, wait, I am not saying do not persistently pray! What I am saying is that the Lord would much rather we persistently prayed as in persistently came to the Lord! Simply come to our Creator more often. Come to the Savior when it is not ‘prayer time’. Come to the Maker just cause. Come to the Designer when we are not ‘asking’. Come to the Majestic in awe of the majesty. Come to God may be saying; “I don’t know why I am coming to You right now, but I do know that I am coming to You right now.”

Therefore, the persistence is indeed crucial, indeed necessary, indeed fundamental, but in the repetition in the coming to God rather than in the persistence in the request. For a persistent request is a form of begging, and You my Lord are far from wanting us to come to You begging. You want us to come humble and broken but Your heart God I believe would be broken when we come begging. Broken as You would say something like; “my dear son/daughter, why are you begging? you know I have your best interest in mind, so please no begging, please no begging as it hurts My heart.”

My dear God, I hope that I do come to you just cause, more than I would come ‘asking’ for some-thing. You are ever so clear in that You know what my needs are. I am ever so clear in saying that I know that You know that. Then let that be my incentive to ask less of You when I come to You, and that I dwell more in You/with You when I am praying. I love You and I thank You my Lord and my Creator. Amen.