Over the last year or so, God has shown me various scriptures in regards to praying. I was of the impression that if I wanted something from God, I should pray about it occasionally. Yes, I knew the scriptures state that we should pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) but I suppose I thought that was in regards to salvation only. I also wasn't aware of what the frequency of "without ceasing" may have been.
But in regards to specific requests (for example: a better job, marriage restoration, fertility), I didn't think I needed to continuously ask God of anything because He heard me the first time right? Why do I have to keep asking Him for it?
And yet, God has shown me an array of scriptures to solidify my need to continuously and daily (even a few times a day!) place petitions before Him. Luke 18:1-8 and Isaiah 62:6-7 are two scriptures that undoubtedly prove that we are to never give up on our petitions.
But I'll be honest, the way in which God is calling on me, on us, to pray is a bit startling. In Luke 11, we see Jesus teaching the disciples, and ultimately us, how to pray. The Lord's prayer is cited in this text, however, Christ had a few more very important words to say after He gave them the Lord's prayer.
He gave a parable of someone going to a friend late at night asking for bread to feed an unexpected guest. Jesus said that the friend would give the bread, not because of their friendship, but because of importunity.
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
Luke 11:8 (KJV)
Now, I've no shame that I did not know what importunity meant. I love words and researching their definitions. So, I did as I always do, and proceeded to Google for a better understanding.
But before I did that, I simply looked at this verse in another translation, which often immediately gives clarity to the text. The NIV version says because of his shameless audacity, he gave the friend what he needed.
So, before reviewing the meaning of importunity, I understood that God encourages boldness in prayer. He wants us to have the audacity to ask. So, ask. But don't just ask. Ask in the manner in which importunity is defined.
Importunity is the state of being importunate, and importunate is defined as follows:
Importunate: troublesomely urgent: overly persistent in request or demand
Some definitions state that importunity is asking to the point of annoyance. That's wild, right? God is not just telling you to ask Him persistently. He's also asking that you be overly persistent. Ask Him to the extent that you think you are pestering Him. Do this because God told you to do it.
Reader, we have the most amazing opportunity. We can go to God, the Creator of all things, and tell Him what weighs on our hearts. We can ask Him to fix it and we can ask Him persistently. We have an opportunity for importunity, and besides the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, this opportunity is the single greatest gift we have on God's green earth.
If you haven't already, I urge you to pray today for what weighs on your heart. Do it now if you can! If not, set aside a time at least twice a day to bare your soul to God. Repent of your sins, give thanks, and lay out your petitions before the throne.
That's all I have for you today. Remember to bombard heaven's gates with your prayers relentlessly just as God desires of you. If it's God's will, I'll see you next week. Be blessed!
Quin Arrington is a Christian Writer and Author with books available on Amazon. www.amazon.com/author/quinarrington