Emphasizing the need for persistence in prayer, the Lord Jesus says in today’s gospel, , “So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” Persistence in Prayer cannot be possible unless we have a deep trust in God. It is our trust that keeps us glued to him in prayer, because we know that he will always hear us. The Psalmist says, “Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.” We are always happy to be with the one who our heart loves, the one who will know can satisfy our needs.
What Persistence in Prayers entails
We keep asking.
When we find ourselves in genuine need, we should fix our focus on our necessities and fervently convey to God our sincere desires for them. It is good to know who to ask. When we ask the wrong person, we can spend a whole lot of out of our time persistent prayer without any tangible result. God cannot fail us. While he uses humans as vessels of his grace, reliance on human beings may falter. Only God can genuinely fulfil our desires. Our initial plea should be to him, and subsequently, he uses others to bestow his blessings upon us.
We search persistently
At times, we do not even know what to ask for because we think that everything that appeals to us should be desirable. We should set our priority right and be focus on them. Searching has to do with discernment. Oftentimes, we ask for what we do not need, because we do not search well. It is necessary that we take proper care lest we ask in vain. We seek to find. After proper discernment, we are able to recognize our need when we find them.
Persistence in Prayers entails knocking.
Knocking needs to be done prudently. We do not knock at God’s door like robbers or with force. Our request must be made with simplicity. Once we know that he is ever at home and ever ready to hear us, we can gently call on him and present our request with reverence. Then, he opens the door. He is our Father. We belong to his household. The necessity of knocking at his door may mean that we have wandered far away from home. It may be because of our sins or because we take him for granted and never believe that he can satisfy our needs. We can simply knock at the door of our home and come to the place where our all-provident Father dwells.
In all, to receive from God, we must be persistent in prayer by asking, searching, and knocking. He will surely hear us. May we always enjoy the grace of perseverance. Amen.
Malachi 3:13-20, Luke 11:5-13
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