Jesus taught that prayer attempting to impress or manipulate God through an abundance of words should be avoided:
“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:7-8)
However, we shouldn’t let Jesus’ warning about “many words”—or the comforting truth that the Father already knows what we need—discourage us from persistent prayer. We can be absolutely certain that God welcomes a concern so great that it drives us to bring it to Him over and over again.
The issue Jesus addressed earlier in the Sermon on the Mount centered on our motives. He never intended to keep us from coming to God with our needs in child-like trust:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
Many Bible students have correctly pointed out that Jesus’ admonition in the original language is best translated as a continuous action: “Ask and keep on asking, search and keep on searching, knock and keep on knocking.”
I have a friend serving a long prison sentence who has used his time to grow closer to Jesus. He attends every worship service the prison offers, uses a tablet to access preaching and worship music, and reads Christian and inspirational books.
In his section of the prison, there is a dangerous inmate whom most people avoid. However, the Holy Spirit strongly impressed upon my friend to pray for this man’s healing and to look for ways to positively influence him.
The urging was so strong that he actively sought the man out to fulfill the task the Holy Spirit had given him. Just as he thought he couldn’t find him, he saw the man walking out of his cell in tears.
Approaching him, my friend asked, “Can I pray for you?” The man agreed and stepped back into his cell. Although my friend is a small, non-violent man, he felt led by the Lord to place his hand on the man’s head and begin praying. Overcome by the Spirit’s power, he then placed his hand over the man’s heart, asking Jesus to enter his life and bring healing.
What began as an earnest prayer of asking, searching, and knocking was answered openly before the entire prison wing. The man has since been transformed by God’s grace and power, and he is now connected with a trusted inmate who serves as a wise Christian mentor.
My friend noted that if he hadn’t received a long prison sentence, he never would have been in the position to be used by God to bring salvation and healing to this man.
The Logic of Jesus
Jesus told a brief parable to encourage us to keep on asking, searching, and knocking:
“Is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for bread, would give a stone? Or if the child asked for a fish, would give a snake? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11)
My friend’s prison experience is deeply instructive because it vividly illustrates God’s way of dealing with prayer:
(1) The burden is placed by the Holy Spirit. The burden he felt for the inmate was given to him by the Spirit. While this is a dramatic example, the principle is a common one. When the Spirit places a burden on our hearts, we should pray without ceasing until the answer comes.
(2) Answered prayer says more about God than it does about us. Jesus’ comparison between God and earthly parents highlights just how deeply God desires to answer our prayers. My friend had the absolute joy of being used by God to bring someone to life in Christ, but he was ultimately a tool in the Master’s hand.
Charles Spurgeon once compared the messenger of the good news to an arrow; an arrow needs to be straight, but the true skill lies with the archer. My friend was simply an arrow in the hand of God, who desired to display His love and grace in this man’s life.
(3) We can count on our prayers being answered when they align with His purposes. When we are in a position authored by the Holy Spirit, we can trust the outcome. God uses these moments to bring about His divine will.
Whether it is the salvation of an inmate in prison or the fulfillment of a basic need for our family, we can count on God to use our persistent prayers for His glory and our good.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. Be sure to check it out!
Real Voices 