Are you being persistent in your prayers?
Recently my wife, our youngest daughter, and I were in Sardinia for a week. That’s an island west of Italy. There were several famous and very beautiful beaches we wanted to visit. One in particular, Cala Goloritzè, required reservations, which we were able to get. But we really didn’t know, until we arrived on the island and did a little more research, there was a pretty intense hike, descending over 1,500 feet of very rocky trails, which required us being persistent, to get to the beach.
But we were up for a challenge and we really wanted to be on this beautiful beach, so off we went.
Did I mention rocky trails? I have never been on such a hike in my life. There were patches of loose rock, rocks jutting out of the trail, smooth slippery rocks, jagged sharp rocks, often at very steep angles with deep steps descending to the next level.
Being persistent on the hike
It took us about three hours to get to the bottom and arrive at the beach. Now, admittedly, we went a little slower than some of the other hikers, partly because we took our time in some of the challenging spots and partly because we stopped to take lots of pictures.
If you’re interested in this particular hike, my wife posted about it on her blog, pollycastor.com, in case you want to check it out and see the pictures.
Now you may be wondering: Hey James, this is a Bible podcast. What does your hike have to do with being persistent in my faith?
A lot actually. What started out as a relatively easy hike quickly evolved into the challenging one I just described.
How often, when we start our journey of faith, does the path seem easy with few ups and downs, but quickly our faith is challenged and the way becomes more difficult.
Hike as a metaphor for being persistent in my faith
This hike in Sardinia has become a metaphor for me about my faith: being persistent, staying on the path, and not giving up, no matter how long or how difficult things are.
We kept going, however fast or slow. A lot of people passed us, but we didn’t compare ourselves to others. We went at our own pace and enjoyed the incredible views and the magnificent trees along the way.
So let it be on our faith journeys. No matter how difficult the way becomes, stay on the path, stay close to God, and stay close to following Christ. Keep going, don’t turn back, no matter how rough it gets. You may need to stop to rest along the way or just to take in the beautiful views.
Don’t compare yourself to how others are doing on their path of faith. Don’t compare how you’re following Christ to how someone else is. Keep your eyes on your Guide, Christ. And watch where you put your feet with each step forward.
Being persistent gets you to your destination
When you’re being persistent in all these things, you’ll reach your destination, whether it’s a specific location on a hike, a project you’re working on, or in a more ultimate spiritual sense, the kingdom of heaven.
We often talk about heaven as a place we’re going, a destination, but Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is at hand and within us.
When you realize this ultimate destination of the kingdom of heaven is already at hand and within you, it changes the perspective of what’s going on and what you need to do to get there, or rather, realize it’s already present.
In a sense, we had the destination of that beach already in us. We knew we had it within ourselves to make that hike. We had the desire to experience it. And it was not just the final destination that made it such a memorable day. It was each step along the way as well. It was our determination and persistence to keep going that made our arrival even more worthwhile.
Bible characters being persistent
There are so many stories in the Bible of people being persistent in their faith, and the way they lived their lives.
One of the first examples I’m thinking of is the woman mentioned in Chapter 31 of Proverbs. This is not really referring to a specific individual. It’s more of an archetype of one version of the ideal woman.
Here are just a few of the things this ideal woman does.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. Proverbs 31:13, 15-18, 20 NIV
As I said, this is just a portion of everything mentioned that she does, but it gives you an idea of her industriousness and her persistence.
Little things add up
It’s one thing to do something well, but it’s a whole other thing to do it well consistently, persistently day after day, year after year. That’s what the woman in Proverbs Chapter 31 does. It’s her persistence that wins the day.
Those consistent little daily actions add up into something large and grand over a lifetime.
Think of your own life in this light. What have you done, over time, persistently doing what was right to the best of your ability? It may seem small and inconsequential. But all those small things add up and shape who you are and what you have to offer the world.
What the Syrophoenician woman teaches us about being persistent
I love the story in the Bible about the Syrophoenician woman who asked Jesus to heal her sick daughter.
At first, at least on the surface of the conversation, Jesus refused and turned her away, indirectly referring to her as a dog who wasn’t worthy of eating food that belonged to someone else.
But this woman is persistent. She doesn’t take no for an answer. She loves her daughter and she knows Jesus can heal her. She refuses to give up. So she plays along with Jesus’s reference to dogs and retorts that at least dogs under the table eat the crumbs that fall on the floor.
This woman is persistent in stating her worthiness to receive healing for her daughter. And that’s exactly what happens.
Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. Matthew 15:28 NIV
Because of her great faith that Jesus could heal her daughter, she was persistent in asking him to do so until he agreed.
I honestly believe Jesus knew from the very start he would heal this woman’s daughter. He knew what was in her heart, that she had faith he could heal the girl, but he gave her the opportunity to declare this faith. And apparently he appreciated her persistence and boldness in continuing to ask him for help.
How does this story apply to you and me? Do you reach out to Christ, as this woman did, but it seems there’s something that prevents the healing? Maybe this is actually an opportunity for you to declare openly your conviction that Christ can heal you today, just as Christ healed 2,000 years ago.
Jesus’s parable about being persistent
Jesus deeply appreciated the quality of being persistent when it comes to turning to God for help. In fact, he tells a parable about this very thing.
Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ”
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. Luke 18:1-8 NIV
If you ever feel like you have given up and quit asking God for help, for justice, or for healing, it’s never too late to metaphorically knock on the door of that judge in Jesus’s parable and ask for justice, for healing, for solutions to your problems.
Part of it is knowing your worth and your divine right to justice, to healing, and solutions. Part of it is being persistent in asking God for help. And part of it is knowing God really can and will help you. The widow in the parable knew the judge could help her and she wouldn’t give up until he agreed.
Jesus makes it clear that God will help us: he said “will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, [that’s you and me] who cry out to him day and night?” Day and night, there’s that persistence we need.
Bartimaeus is persistent
Another example of someone being persistent is blind Bartimaeus. When he hears that Jesus is passing by, he calls out for help, but the crowd basically tells him to be quiet.
Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Mark 10:48 NIV
The more the crowd told him the be quiet, the more persistent Bartimaeus was in calling out to Jesus for help.
Have you ever had that happen to you? You’re praying for healing or a solution to some problem and someone will tell you to keep quiet. “Don’t bother God with all your problems. He probably won’t heal you anyway.” It could be a family member or friend who says something discouraging or it could just be the material world itself trying to discourage you and dissuade you from reaching out for and expecting healing.
Take Bartimaeus’s persistence to heart and don’t give up. Don’t let anyone or anything keep you from calling out for and expecting healing like he did.
Now you may be thinking: Well, James, those examples are all great but the problem I’m dealing with I’ve had for a long time. I’ve prayed and prayed and I’m still not healed.
Are you being persistent about the right things?
Sometimes we need to take a deep look at which direction our persistence is pointed. I’m thinking of the man who was at the pool of Bethesda and had been unable to walk for 38 years.
He was persistent, or at least had been for many years, hanging out at the pool of Bethesda hoping he could get in the water before anyone else when it was stirred up and be healed. He was persistently where he thought he should be. He persistently made an effort to get in the water at the right time. But he had no success. And he had not been healed.
Have you ever felt how he must have felt? You’ve tried everything. You’ve been faithful to your highest sense of what you think is the right thing to do, but with absolutely no results.
It can be very discouraging and it’s probably safe to say this man had very little hope of ever being healed at this point in his life, at least until Jesus showed up.
When Jesus asked if he wanted to be healed, he explained
“I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” John 5:7 NLT
The man had persistently thought he could be healed if he got into the water first. But Jesus blew that theory out of the water, and healed the man.
Christ know where to find you
If you’ve been persistent in the wrong direction, been focused on the wrong thing, and still hoping for a miracle, the only way to be healed or have your problem really solved is to be aware of Christ’s presence right where you are, even if you think he is far away.
Jesus found this man at the side of the pool, right where he had been persistently pursuing something else, and asked if he wanted to be healed.
Christ knows exactly where to find you, even right in the spot where you may have persistently trusted in things that aren’t helping or healing you. But you’ll have to let go of whatever is not working, whether it’s an attitude, a limiting self-belief, a harmful practice, or trusting in something or someone that isn’t trustworthy.
Christ will find you. In fact, Christ finds you every day and asks, “Would you like to get well? Do you want to be healed?” Do you hear this voice? Do you have a conversation with Christ, like the man at the pool talked to Jesus?
We can give our excuses as to why we haven’t been healed, just like this man did, but Christ will tell us to pick up that mat we’ve been lying on, and walk: to pick up and quit finding comfort in the excuses we’ve made, the things we’re avoiding, and the limiting beliefs we’ve been carrying around, and then be healed.
If our persistence is ever misdirected, Christ sets us straight.
You are capable of being persistent
Over the years I’ve talked to some folks who just don’t think they’re very good at being persistent in their prayers, their trust in God, and following Christ. They would always come up with some excuse. But at the heart of it all was their own lack of self-worth. They didn’t feel worthy to ask for a healing, or thought they didn’t deserve it for some reason. Or they just got accustomed to living with a problem.
But just because you may not feel capable of being persistent doesn’t mean it’s true.
The reason you can be persistent, and be so consistently, is because as the image and likeness of God, you reflect the persistence, the steadfastness, and the unfailing consistency of God.
I love this verse in Psalms
Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 106:1 NIV
Throughout the Bible, regardless of how the Children of Israel obeyed or disobeyed God, His love for them endures forever. He persists in loving them under all circumstances, for all eternity. According to the prophet Malachi, His nature, which includes this love, never changes.
I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Malachi 3:6 NIV
Jesus the best example of being persistent
This unchanging and persistent nature of God as Love is most clearly demonstrated in the life of Jesus.
And speaking of persistence, Jesus never lost sight of the reason he came to earth. He persisted even though people not understanding his deeper spiritual meaning, even though his disciples arguing over who would be greatest, and even though there was opposition from religious leaders.
Nothing could cause Jesus to stray from the straight and narrow way of obeying God and fulfilling his purpose.
But Jesus made it clear he only did what he saw God do. He said he couldn’t do anything without God’s help. The reason Jesus could persist and accomplish all he did was because he was the manifestation of God’s nature.
The same is, to a degree, true for you and me. The reason you can be persistent, in the right way, is because you are the image and likeness of God. You reflect God’s persistent, unchanging nature. You can’t be truly persistent on you own. It can only be through reflecting God.
Two encouraging verses on being persistent
I find lots of encouragement in this verse from 1 Corinthians. Paul writes,
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV
You could probably summarize all Paul’s writings as his effort to encourage Christians to be persistent in striving to follow Christ.
Here’s what he wrote to the church in Galatia.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 NIV
Being persistent, being faithful to Christ and continuing to follow his teachings, even when things get rough, has huge rewards. If you need to pause along the way to rest or to take in and appreciate how far you’ve come, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It may even look like you’ve gone in reverse at times, but when God tells you to take a different approach, that’s okay. You’re still following His guidance.
You don’t have to force yourself through human will and determination to be more persistent. You already have within you this ability to be faithful and follow Christ consistently. You are a child of God, made in His image and likeness, reflecting the persistent, consistent, unchanging nature of God.
The more you embrace who you are as a child of God, the more persistent your prayers will be and the more healing you will experience.
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and church mentor. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by learning to think, pray, and love like Jesus. Contact him here.
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Bible References
Proverbs 31:13, 15-18, 20 NIV
13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
15 She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
Matthew 15:28 NIV
28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Luke 18:1-8 NIV
1 Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.
3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think,
5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.
7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.
Mark 10:48 NIV
48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
John 5:7 NLT
7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”
Psalm 106:1 NIV
1 Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Malachi 3:6 NIV
6 I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.
1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Galatians 6:9 NIV
9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
