⁵ Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶ because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’   

       ⁷ ”Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.   (Luke 11:5-8  NIV)

     As I read this passage I think of a co-workers who seem to always get what they wants when they wants it, yet others of us seem to be overlooked.  Perhaps it is because they have learned the art of petitioning with boldness.  This is what Jesus is encouraging us to do when we ask our petitions of him.  Sometimes we have to wait for our answers to come, but God still wants us to continue to ask for what we want.

     James tells us that when we ask, we must believe and not doubt, “because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”  (James 1:6-8)  If we truly believe God will answer our prayers, we will continue to ask and not give up when God says wait.

     It never hurts to stop and analyze our requests to be sure we are in line with his will, but as long as we believe we are led by his Spirit we should continue to be persistent in prayer.

Copyright © 2008 by Janice Green

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.