Importunity In Prayer
I say unto you , though he will not rise and give him , because he is his friend , yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth ~ Luke 11:8 KJV
Then He spoke a parable to them , that men always ought to pray and not lose heart , saying : “ There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man . Now there was a widow in that city ; and she came to him , saying , ‘ Get justice for me from my adversary .’ And he would not for a while ; but afterward he said within himself , ‘ Though I do not fear God nor regard man , yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her , lest by her continual coming she weary me .’ ” Then the Lord said , “ Hear what the unjust judge said . And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him , though He bears long with them ? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily . Nevertheless , when the Son of Man comes , will He really find faith on the earth ?” ~ Luke 18:1-8 NKJV
Jesus used these two parables to help us understand the need for perseverance and importunity in prayer . He wanted us to understand that in prayer , it will not always be rosy . The path is not an easy one to travel . We must expect diffculties which can only be conquered by persistent , determined perseverance . The parables represent two things ; the existence of diffculty on the side of the person to whom the petition is being addressed and the need for importunity to overcome their reluctance to hear . He uses the unwilling friend and the unjust judge to encourage in us the faith that perseverance can overcome every obstacle . The diffculty is not in God ' s love or power , but in ourselves and our own incapacity to receive the blessing . This incapacity is brought about by our own lack of spiritual maturity and
10 preparedness which in turn leads to diffculty on God ' s side to give us what we desire .
God , in His own love , righteousness and wisdom cannot give us what we are not ready to have . Sin or the consequences of sin is also an obstacle that makes it impossible for God to give us what we ask of Him . To breakthrough this power of sin in ourselves , or those for whom we pray , is what makes the striving and the conflict of prayer such a reality . In real sense , diffculties that come in our life play an important role in that they call out man ' s prowess as nothing else can . They bring out the best from us . They strengthen our character , toughen us and make us more tenacious . They build our inner strength as well . It is in the meeting and the mastering of diffculties that our highest attainments are found . This is the same case in our fellowship with God . Just imagine how it would be if the child of God had only to kneel down and ask , get and go away . What unspeakable loss to the spiritual life would ensue ? It is in the diffculty and delay that calls for persevering prayer , that the true blessing and blessedness of the Heavenly life would be found .
Just think what our Lord Jesus owed to the diffculties in His path . In Gethsemane , it was if the Father would not hear ; He prayed yet more earnestly until " He was heard ". In the way He opened up for us , He learned obedience by the things He suffered , and so was made perfect . His will was given up to God ; His faith in God was proved and strengthened ; the prince of this world , with all his temptation was overcome . This is the new and living way He consecrated for us . It is in persevering prayer we walk with and are made partakers of His very spirit .
Prayer is one form of crucifixion ; of our fellowship with Christ ' s cross , of our giving up our flesh to the death . The diffculty of importunate