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THE MIDNIGHT FRIEND – PERSISTENT PRAYER
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
Luke 11:1-13

Memory verse: Luke 11:8

 

“…yet because of his importunity
he will rise and give him

as many as he needeth.”

 

THE MIDNIGHT FRIEND – PERSISTENT PRAYER
 
If every prayer uttered in faith by God’s children is answered immediately, the believer’s relationship with God would be fleeting and cold. The heart and groaning within the believer’s soul would be void of passion for God and Christ. It would become a disdain for “easy come, easy go.” Thank God that God desires all His children to persevere in prayer. By persevering in prayer, the conviction of the person’s heart is revealed. He is determined to make that request sincerely rather than perfunctorily. If he is not sincere, he will soon stop praying. His concern for what he prays for is shallow. However, the opposite is true when he is deeply concerned for someone or something to the point of desperation, like David, who fasted and prayed for his son’s recovery, who was sick unto death.
 
Persevering in prayer is needful in every believer’s communion with God. Knowing the right way to pray to God is the beginning of biblical prayer. But learning to persevere in prayer is the heart and soul of a sustained communion with God, like a loving child spending uninterrupted time with his loving father. The parable describes a man who requested three loaves of bread to feed a friend who arrived at his home at midnight. The Jewish custom is to provide food for guests when they arrive. He asked only for a loan of three loaves, not a gift. But the reply from his friend was to stop troubling him as his door was shut, his children were with him in bed and he did not wish to get up from his bed.
 
The Lord said that even though his friend came at midnight to ask, he would not let him have the three loaves. However, because of his friend’s importunity, i.e. troublesome request, he would rise and give him as many as he needed. He understood the Jewish culture of feeding a friend who came at any time of the day or night. His friend would not stop asking for a loan of three loaves until his request was granted. He would remain outside the door until he got his three loaves. How much more when we pray persistently to our God, who is more than a friend! He is our heavenly Father who delights in hearing and answering prayers. Let us pray without ceasing.
 
THOUGHT: Do I pray without ceasing?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, teach me to persevere in my prayers.

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