Ephesians 6:18: Persevering Prayer

Outline

• Who God is
• Why God delays

Introduction

We are lingering over the issue of prayer because it is so needed in our lives. We have reminded ourselves of the nature of prayer, the different types of prayer, and today we continue by considering perseverance in prayer. Paul writes, ‘praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance….’ There are two aspects of perseverance to consider. Firstly, Paul is calling upon us to be alert and persevere in attempting to pray at all times, in the Spirit, with all types of praying. He is calling upon us to fight hard, to be disciplined, and to exert ourselves to make prayer the habit of our lives. We have said many things about this form of perseverance already so will not repeat ourselves. But the second type of persevering prayer we need to consider is the type taught to us by Christ where we ask, seek, and knock until we receive an answer. It is to this type of prayer that we turn now.

Have you ever asked yourself why God delays in answering prayer? If God really wants something, and you know what He wants and pray accordingly, for example praying for the salvation of the lost, then why does He not answer straight away? Many a young Christian has had their faith challenged by delayed answers to prayer, even mature Christians have struggled with the reason for delayed answers, which appear as no answers. The Lord in His wisdom has appointed that not all prayer be answered immediately, so today I would like us to consider Jesus teaching on prayer and seek to offer some perspectives on why this is the case.