Keep On Praying

By Rick Warren

January 24, 2010

"Why be persistent?  How come my answers sometimes don't come immediately?  Why should I keep on praying when the answer doesn't come in my time table?" 

Keep on praying when there's no answer, because persistent praying helps me focus on God. God wants me to remember that He alone is the source of my answers to prayer.       The Bible says in Philippians 4:19, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

God wants us to see Him alone as the source of our needs. When we have to pray about something over and over, who do we look to?  We look to the Lord.  Persistent prayer focuses our attention.  Have you discovered that we like to look to everybody else to solve our problem except the Lord?  We look to our friends, we look to our family, we look to counselors, we look to the government, we look to anybody -- except the Lord. God often delays an answer to force you to focus on Him. 

Persistent praying also clarifies my requests. A delayed answer a lot of times gives me time to clarify what do I really want. Time separates deep longings from mere whims. I've prayed for things and sometimes during the delay decided I didn't really want them after all. 

God delays the answer to test you. It's not that He doesn't want to give it to you, He wants to know if you really want it.  Do you want it enough to keep praying?  Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek me and find me when you seek for me with all your heart."  Nothing worthwhile is accomplished with half-hearted prayers. 

Persistent prayer will prepare me for the answer. God usually wants to do more than you are praying for. Surprise! God wants to do it greater and He needs time to get you ready for it. There are changes God wants to make in you. Ephesians 3:20 "Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us, is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes." 

People say, "Prayer changes things."  Of course we know it is God who does the changing.  But prayer changes you.  And God is more interested in you than He is in circumstances. Often as soon as you've made the change in your life the doors of heaven open and the answer comes.  Expect a miracle.

Persistent praying strengthens and develops your faith. A mark of maturity is how long can you wait.  Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  God's saying, "Hang on!  Be patient!  The harvest is coming.  Don't give up!  Look up!"

We want to encourage you to take time daily focusing on God, reading His word and talking to Him.  We liken this to dating, in which we spend time with someone to get to know them better, to learn more about her/him.  Likewise, we spend time with God daily to know Him better.