I learned to be persistent in prayer with my children. If you have ever had a 7-year-old around, you can surely relate. My little one knows what she wants. And she asks for it. A lot. And she does not take no for an answer until mom gets her attention, looks her in the eye and spells out: “I said N-O!” for the 15th (and hopefully last) time. Still, after about five minutes, she finds a way to state her case once more, with a reasoning behind it that would make the best attorney in town shine in court. She’s pretty good, I must say.
As I reflect on the way my children ask me for the desire of their hearts, it makes me realize how very timid we tend to be when we pray. We often say our prayers without conviction and consistency, as if we were approaching a limited, impatient and stingy God. A friend once told me that she did not want to bother God with her requests because she felt he was too busy with so many major problems around the world. Although you may think this is a pretty laughable statement, I appreciate her honesty. I believe that too often we pray that way. Who has not caught himself or herself saying the same prayers, like a mantra, without the conviction that God was listening? Or that he cared. Or, for that matter, that he willed to answer.
About six months ago, I shared a prayer request with three of my best friends. I was talking to one of them one morning and was surprised by her statement. She said she was praying, believing in God for a miracle, that he would answer our prayers by the end of the summer, which would indeed be the perfect timing for that prayer to be answered. When she said that, I was taken aback. I realized that I was not praying so specifically. Worse yet, deep down inside, I did not really believe it would happen. That day I made a decision. I happened to be reading a book on prayer. In one of the chapters, the author mentioned that when it comes to the desires of our hearts, we should pray without ceasing. Like my 7 year old, we should pray and never stop until God opens the door and answers our prayers. As long as our requests line up with his will and his character, we should keep on asking, keep on knocking and keep on seeking.
That little book and my friend’s bold faith changed my prayer life. I don’t approach God like a timid child anymore. I come in like my little ones do, without ceremony, and ask him for little and big things with the conviction that he listens and cares. I pray with full comprehension that the one who spoke the stars into existence can do anything he desires, but at the same time humbly realizing that he may also withhold something that I think is good but he knows it is not.
By the way, in case you wonder, our prayer was answered and yes, it was answered before the summer was over. Today I sit in front of my computer, with a childish smile across my face and a heart filled with gratitude and resolve: No more timid praying. God is listening and often has his hand on the door knob, waiting for his children to knock and keep on knocking.
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