Why Do We Need to Persist in Prayer? Why Does It Matter to God?
How to Pray So That You KNOW You'll Get Your Answer, Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Why We Persist in Prayer
“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV).
Why do we pray persistently? Why not once, then done? Didn’t God hear us the first time?
Why does God care about how much we persist in our prayers?
There are many reasons, but one is quite simple: praying persistently demonstrates faith — and faith always delights God.
Someone who asks once and gives up doesn’t demonstrate much faith. But the person who prays and keeps praying, who relentlessly finds a way to keep praying no matter what kind of resistance they face — that person prays with great faith.
And faith greatly pleases God.
The Scriptures go so far as to say:
“without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6a NIV).
Why is this?
Why do we need faith to please God?
The verse continues:
“because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6b NIV).
Faith is belief. Faith is trust.
Faith is believing that God exists, and believing that God meant what He said.
Faith is believing that pursing God earnestly — persistently — is where we find the only rewards worth receiving.
Faith shows that we trust God. Faith shows that we believe His words. Faith shows that we believe God is good, and that we trust His goodness more than we do any evidence to the contrary.
Imagine that you were accused of a horrible crime. You declare your innocence. Most people don’t believe you. But one person does. This person has faith that you meant what you said. You really are innocent. When everyone else turns their back on you and hates you, this person believes you and embraces you.
How would you feel toward this person?
That’s how God feels towards those who believe Him.
God is the most lied-about Person in history. When someone believes Him — when someone has faith that He really is who He says He says — it delights God, just as it would delight you to be believed that you really are innocent.
One person in Scripture exemplifies what faith really is — a person whose name we don’t even know.
We’ll cover their story on Friday.
How to Pray So That You KNOW You’ll Get Your Answer is now live! Paperback and Kindle editions are now available for purchase on Amazon.
If you’ve been enjoying this series as we dive into prayer, you can buy your own copy to keep with you.
If you know someone who struggles with prayer, this book can be an excellent introduction for them, as it’s written in a style anyone can grasp and leads you to the heart of Jesus as He teaches us how to pray.
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