Persistent Prayer Focus

In Luke 18:1 – 8, Jesus tells the parable about the persistent widow.  After a recent conversation at a Bible study I attend, I have been thinking on this Scripture and what it means.  I do not presume to think I understand this fully, but I would like to share some thoughts I have recently had regarding this topic.

I offer that we Christians have long misused this Scripture for selfish and temporal reasons.  I will do my best to explain although it may prove to be difficult.  We tend to apply the persistent prayer parable to the healing of disease, to freedom from financial woes, to a better life, to the protection of our children, and so on.  We tend to believe that if we pray every day for these things (as I pray for my children’s protection) that nothing will ever go wrong or that God will eventually heal us from a disease or get us out of debt or something.

I use the word selfish because we are praying for ourselves and those we love.  I use the word temporal because we are praying for things that are only going to influence our lives in the flesh for the short time we have on earth.  Do I believe it’s wrong to pray for these things?  BY NO MEANS!!!  But I do believe we are misdirecting the intent for the persistent prayer parable.

So, what are we to pray persistently for?  I believe the answer to this question deals with eternal matters.  And the only eternal matters that I know of deal with the salvation of souls and the coming of the Kingdom of God.

What got me to thinking about this is Isaiah 62:6-7.  Read it below.

Isaiah 62:6 – 7 (NIV)
I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night.  You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

These verses show me a version of persistent prayer that is all about praying for God to bring His Kingdom soon.  Rather than focusing on the things that are only an issue in the life of the flesh, we need to focus on the things that are eternal.  Our persistent prayers should be for friends and loved ones to be eternally saved.  Our prayers should be for the coming of God’s eternal Kingdom.  Our prayers should concern the relationships that we have and how they could be used for God’s glory.

Matthey 6:7 – 8 (NIV) says ”And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”   I tend to think we confuse persistent prayer at times with this kind of praying.  And all along, we need to remember that God knows what we need, and He will give that to us.  For Paul, what God thought he needed was some kind of thorn in the flesh.  I’m not sure what that was, but God wanted Paul to have this in order to Glorify himself through Paul’s weakness.  For my friend Henry, God allowed him to have cancer in order to Glorify himself.

Some of you did not like that last statement at all.  But my friend Henry is the one who taught me that.  He actually used those words … shortly before cancer ended his life.  But I can tell you that Henry did more to Glorify God than any healthy Christian I have ever met.

I feel as if I’ve been rambling along in this blog going all over the place.  I believe this topic could use much more discussion than I am giving it here.  Plus, I think there are smarter people that could expound on this much better than I.  I would love to have your thoughts on this topic.  But I will close with my bottom line to all of this.

I believe our persistent prayers should be focused on people being saved, on the Gospel being spread and preached throughout the world, and on God’s eternal Kingdom coming sooner than later.   Yes, we should pray for healing and for freedom from financial woes and for earthly matters, but our persisting praying should be on all things eternal.

Go with God,
Donald B

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