Earnest, persistent prayer is very necessary in our time. It is easy to slacken in prayer if the answer does not come immediately. But if you want to be effective in prayer, you must not stop until the answer comes. Jacob, who was wrestling with God, understood this. He said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” He was determined not to give up the fight until he won the victory, and he was rewarded for his perseverance and persistence. He received not only the desired blessing but so much more. His name changed from Jacob, meaning “despised, repressed,” to Israel, meaning “God’s warrior.”
The mother of the prophet Samuel, Hannah, also knew something of the power of earnest prayer. She was grieved by the constant mockery coming from her enemy. All the comforting words of her husband could not satisfy her soul. So, she took refuge in God. She went to the temple of God and poured out her heart before Him and persevered in prayer. When the high priest Eli addressed her and rebuked her, she said, “My lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit…I have poured out my soul before the LORD” (1 Samuel 1:15). And her prayer was answered.
About five years later, Hannah stood in the temple again, but not with a sad heart. Her heart was filled with joy, and she said to Eli, “I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the LORD. For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD” (1 Samuel 1:26-28). And they worshiped the Lord there.
When a threatening letter was brought to King Hezekiah by the enemies (see 2 Kings 19), he went to the temple and opened the letter before the Lord. God took care of the matter and brought about a speedy deliverance. Later, when the prophet brought the message to the king that he must die, he again sought refuge before God in earnest prayer. His prayer reached God, for God answered him through the prophet Isaiah: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you” (2 Kings 20:5).
Daniel also learned persistent prayer in the land of his captivity. He felt the contempt and shame that rested on his people. He could no longer bear it, but he was also firmly convinced that what he desired was according to the will of God. And we read in Daniel 9:3, “Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” Such prayer reaches heaven.
While Daniel’s heart poured out its sorrow, his words became more and more serious, and he confessed all the sins of his people. Upon this prayer, the command was given from the throne of God to the angel Gabriel to go to Daniel and comfort him because God had heard him and answered.
We find even more examples in the Bible of people “who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle” (see Hebrews 11:33-34).
These are all examples for us to use as an incentive to continue in prayer and supplication.
Once, when the disciples asked the Lord Jesus to teach them how to pray, He gave them, among other things, the lesson of forwardness and perseverance in prayer. This answer applies to all God’s children who want to learn how to pray successfully and effectively.
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