“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.”
Luke 18:1 NLT
If you’ve read any of Positioned previous blogs on prayer, you will recall that we were taught to pray from a very young age. There’s something that still amazes me about what our teachers did back then: they never allowed us to forget the importance of the moment of prayer. Our teachers never gave up on calling us to prayer meetings, inviting us to all-night vigils, fasting, and prayer retreats. Even during school holidays, we would gather in small groups just to pray. In those years, we didn’t have specific prayer points because we were so young, but something significant was building within us. The time we invested was developing a level of spiritual capacity we were not even aware of. We kept returning to that place, persisting as if we hadn’t just been there a day, a week, or a month ago.
Some might ask: “How many times must one pray to God? Doesn’t He hear us from the very beginning?” And He does. However, I’ve realised that persistent prayer does something to the person praying as well. It is not that God needs to see how much you want a specific thing before He gives you; He is well aware of how important it is to you. Rather, there is a specific spiritual form you need to inhabit, and prayer has the unique power to transform the person within.
Here are a few things we can note about persistent prayer:
- It transforms us from within.
Persistent prayer aligns us with God’s plan and will for our lives. When Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer, He said, “Let your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” This proves that God’s will can manifest on earth and that people can inhabit the form God designed for them right now, rather than in some distant future.
The truth is that God already knows your future; He knows the person you will become in five years or more. As you journey toward that version of yourself, something internal must be built. While there may be other methods of growth, persistent prayer is a proven path. Anything you desire to be, if aligned with God’s plan, can be attained through prayer.
When you receive something in the place of prayer, it is sealed by a covenant. Our God is a God of integrity who never retreats from His promises; what He says, He does. Therefore, persisting in prayer is for our benefit; it allows us to hear God vowing to bring His promises to pass. Through His Word, He makes His plans known to us.
He did the same for the Israelites. The Bible says that God remembered the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That promise remained relevant, and He kept it. When they cried out to Him, He sent help in the form of a man equipped with His Word. Even in moments when they struggled to believe, God remained faithful to His Word.
- Persistent prayer shifts the atmosphere.
It ensures that everything around you aligns with what God intends to do. It was no accident that the storms and waves obeyed the voice of Jesus; they were in a constant state of obedience to Him because of who He was. As a man who never grew weary of prayer, I imagine that at the start of every day, all of creation prepared itself to obey His voice.
Think of the power required to make a storm vanish with the words, “Peace, be still.” We read consistently that Jesus prioritised prayer, often retreating very early in the morning or late at night. As Mark 1:35 says: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” When the disciples finally found Him and told Him that everyone was looking for Him, it didn’t sway Him. Jesus was more concerned with being found in God’s will than with meeting the immediate demands of the crowd. For atmospheres to change, He knew He had to first abide in the secret place.
3.Persistent prayer ensures God’s desires for us are fulfilled.
This is not about changing God’s mind; it’s about aligning ourselves with what He has already planned. It is in these moments that our minds are renewed, just as Scripture advises in Romans 12:2. Sometimes, you may enter prayer without a single point on your list, but as you persist, the Spirit of God positions you. He places the right words in your spirit so that your prayers become an utterance of God’s own heart. It is His will that must manifest in the world, and we will continue to persist until “the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).
Consider Hannah’s prayer for a child. She reached a point where she finally understood God’s plan within her own story. She vowed to care for her son only until he was weaned, then return him to the temple. In that moment, God’s desire was fulfilled. Hannah’s persistent prayer shifted her perspective and gave her a divine vision for her son’s life. It was in the place of prayer that her eyes were opened to God’s greater purpose. She realised that as a mother, she needed to pray in a way that prioritised God’s will over her own.
- It builds our faith, which is what Christ looks for when He returns.
In Luke 18, Jesus encouraged His apostles to pray at all times and never give up. He told them the parable of a widow who pleaded with a “wicked, godless judge.” Though the judge ignored her at first, I imagine her faith growing as she waited. Perhaps she heard reports of others receiving justice and thought, “If he can do that for them, surely he will hear me.”
Day after day, she persisted until the judge finally thought, “This woman is wearing me out; I will give her justice.” By that point, she was likely a different person than the one who first approached him. Her persistence had stirred something powerful within her. In the same way, please keep bringing your matters before God. He is fully in charge and will grant your desires; and even more.
Think of Nehemiah; When he heard about the ruins of his nation, he fasted and cried out to the Lord. By the time he stood before the king, his internal state was so transformed that the king immediately noticed his distress. Nehemiah knew he had to be internally prepared and properly positioned in spirit for his request to carry weight with the king. From the moment he heard the news to the days he spent in prayer, a vital transformation occurred; one necessary for the great work he was about to do. The things God wants to do with you require faith, and that faith is built through the Word and persistent prayer.
No matter how hard it gets, persist in prayer. You are praying to our Father, and He will never ignore you. The Bible says that even before we begin to pray, He already knows our needs; so go ahead and tell Him what He already knows.
Refuse to allow your situations to get the best of you. Whether you know the next step or not, pray. Pray until something happens. I have had the blessing of walking with others on this journey, praying until a breakthrough came, and no matter how long it took, something eventually happened. So, keep going. Watch your life be transformed into the image of Christ until what you read in the Bible becomes your daily reality, and you can truly say: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ.”
Remember; the persistent prayer of a righteous person makes great power available and produces wonderful results. ( James 5:16)
On a practical level, you can achieve this by praying as often as possible throughout the day. Before your workday begins or as your morning starts, have a moment with the King. Continue this throughout the day and into the night. Create a dedicated space for Him; if your time is limited during the day, ensure you persist more intentionally during your other time segments. Whatever you do, never stop praying.
Let’s pray;
Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for reminding us of the power of persistent prayer; the kind that never gives up. Thank You for showing us how vital it is to be found in the place of prayer. Today, Lord, we yield to Your plan and purpose for our lives. We declare that we will pray; no matter what happens, we will remain in Your presence.
Thank You for granting us both the desire and the capacity to pray. Lord, we lift up those who are struggling to find their voice in prayer or who have grown weary. We declare that as they read these words and listen to Your message, their spiritual fire is being ignited. Your sons and daughters are returning to Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.