March Like Jesus
… Being Persistent in Prayer – Part II

Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:7-11

Key Verse: Matthew 7:7
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you”.

To follow up on yesterday’s devotional, I want to look at some reasons that Jesus tells us to be persistent in our prayers.

Of course, Scripture does not tell us all the reasons behind most of Jesus’s “marching orders” to us Christ-followers; we simply must receive them and be quick to obey them. We must never forget that the Bible is very clear, “the righteous will live by faith” (Romans 1:17).

With the above explanation, let me suggest a couple of reasons behind our Key Verse.

First, I want to make a point. The Bible could use the word “prove” rather than “test”. God does not need to prove anything to Himself; He already knows. But He does want us to prove to ourselves that our faith is real, and we can be confident to face future trials without failing.

Jesus gave a parable known as the Parable of the Sower. Look at one section of this parable:

“The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” (Matthew 13:20-21)

Could it be that Jesus tells us to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking to “prove” that we will not allow anything to keep us from praying?

The devil loves it when one of God’s children becomes discouraged with their prayers! The devil is not “all knowing” like God is, but there are some things he knows better than we do, such as the power of prayer.

Far too many of us believers do not understand that God gave us prayer because it is the tool that defeats the forces of darkness.

Have you ever heard someone say “well, I at least will pray for you”? Prayer is NEVER the “least” you can do for someone, it is the MOST you can do for them! Even if we can offer that person an abundance of help, our prayers are still far more than anything we could offer for help.

I hope you receive your “marching orders” from Jesus… keep on praying!

A second reason Jesus tells us to keep on praying is that our eyes often cannot see the results of our prayers. Jesus challenges us to pray continually, even when our prayers seemingly get no response! Jesus tells us to never stop praying because we easily cave to feelings that our prayers are useless. Stand firm in your faith… you move God with your prayers!

Father, I need Your help to persistently pray, every day. I ask this in Jesus’s Name.