When one of my guys was little, his gift of persistence drove me to distraction. I distinctly remember calling Markel in tears after a long day of questions from my logic smart guy saying, “I’m a terrible mother…in this moment, I can’t say I like my son very much. I love him, but his persistence feels like bullets wearing me down!”😬
That persistence which was so hard in its unrefined state, was actually an indicator of great potential-a superpower in need of discipline, discernment & discipleship.
(Parents, things that rise up over & over in our children, seeming “good or bad”, usually point to an unrefined gift God’s given them. Pay attention!😉)
That memory surfaced as I read about Jesus teaching on the importance of persistent prayer. In fact, he tells a story about & uses a term that is only used once in the entire Bible! It is from the Greek root “anaideia” & translated means “shameless persistence”😬
At first glance, (& early experience with my son) the phrase doesn’t seem honorable, but it IS a worthy trait when applied to the right thing!
One of Jesus’s disciples heard Him praying & asks Jesus to teach him how to pray. He shares The Lord’s Prayer & then ends with a story of a man who knocked on a friend’s door in the middle of the night because he was in need. He told the persistent man to not bother him, but the man kept knocking.
Jesus stops the story at this point & says this: A man will not open the door based on friendship, but if you keep knocking, he’ll finally get up & give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
A person with shameless persistence is one without shame or embarrassment, a faith-led believer whose prayers are not halted by human fears.
If you are in need of anything today, let this simple message sink deep:
Keep knocking!
•Not hearing an answer? Keep knocking!
•Door not opened? Keep knocking!
•Need provision? Keep knocking!
There is a song that says, “Every prayer for today is a seed for tomorrow. Keep praying!” Pray with the shameless persistence of the knocker & see what only God can do!
Father, strengthen our hearts to hang on! We want to become living proof of what holding on can do!
DEUTERONOMY 26:1-27:26
LUKE 10:38-11:13
PSALM 76:1-12
PROVERBS 12:15-17
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