Evangelist George Muller was known for his prayer life. He was also familiar with the practice of persistent prayer. He once wrote:
“I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk about, when I lie down and when I rise up. And the answers are always coming. Thousands and tens of thousands of times have my prayers been answered. When once I am persuaded that a thing is right and for the glory of God, I go on praying for it until the answer comes. George Mueller never gives up!”
It is difficult to wait for God to answer a prayer after a week, not to mention 18 months or 36 years. Vast amounts of emotional energy go into praying for someone who has rejected the gospel for decades or a people group that has been unreached for hundreds of years.
Jesus’s Teaching on Being Persistent in Prayer
Jesus taught His disciples many things about prayer, including to pray without losing heart. Jesus prayed, in despair, for God to take the cup away from Him (Matthew 26:39) and often took time to be alone with His Father.
And so He told His disciples a parable to prepare them for a lifestyle of constant prayer. He told the story of a widow who went to an unjust judge, pleading for justice against her adversary.
Paul also encouraged persistent prayer as he wrote to encourage the church in Colossae.
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” -Colossians 4:2-4, ESV
Staying Persistent Through God’s Silence
Even as Paul asked for persistent prayers, he knew God could choose not to respond or say, “No.” When Paul was given a “thorn” in his flesh, he pleaded to God three times to remove it (2 Corinthians 12:7-8). Instead, God said His power is perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
What did Paul do? He didn’t wallow in grief or curse God for not giving him what he wanted. Rather, Paul boasted in his weaknesses knowing that Christ’s power would rest on him.
Prayer is not only an avenue for talking to God. It deepens faith in God, teaches patience and perseverance, and can lead to lives being changed forever. So pray without ceasing, trusting in God’s eventual answer.
