Shameless Persistence

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. “And so I tell you, 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. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. [Luke 11.5-10]

There is no question about what Jesus was saying here: Keep on praying! Be persistent! Don't stop!

There are a couple things worth pointing out in this story Jesus gave.

First, the person requesting help was doing so for the benefit of another person. While this does not necessarily teach us not to make requests to God for ourselves, it does makes intercession for others the basis for this story. However, while doing good for others first is the basis of this story, it is not the lesson of the story...

And so, the lesson is this: Jesus was very clear that the person meeting the need (the requestee) did not do so based on relationship, but purely resultant to the persistence of the one asking help (the requester). In the New Living Translation, it is described as "shameless persistence" and it looks like this:

“And so I tell you, 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. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. [Luke 11.9-10]

Let's look a little deeper though... There is a reason the requester would remain persistent. What is that reason? The reason is: the requester was fully convinced that the requestee could meet the need. In fact, the requester had to persist past the requestee's initial refusal to help! So the story is less about the will of the requestee as much as it is about the confident albeit shameless persistence of the requester! But, why is this important?

The importance of persistence in prayer is spiritual growth. The more a person grows in his knowledge of God, the more he or she understands God's character as that of a loving Father. A person cannot know the fullness of God's character (what He can do) apart from spiritual growth. And, although spiritual growth is not measured in knowledge of God's Word alone, the knowledge of God's character as revealed in His Word is the foundation of a relationship with Him. Actually, in the context of our subject passage above, Jesus expounded upon this:

“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” [Luke 11.11-13]

Obviously, the requester in Jesus' story knew full well the requestee could meet his need. There was no doubt about the requestee's character even though the issue of timing was an obstacle. The requester's shameless persistence proved the known character of the requestee, albeit by imposition.

So, while Jesus' story is very much about "shameless persistence" in prayer, it must not be overlooked that God's character must be known. Otherwise, no amount of shameless persistence matters. "You cannot get blood from a turnip" (see the explanation of this phrase at U.S. Dictionary).

Father, the more I read and understand Your Word, the more I know that You desire to heal and save. May I be found shamelessly persistent requesting that You meet these needs for myself and others!