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Persistence in Prayer

Luke 18: 1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

I don't ever remember reading this parable from Luke 18 before.  As I read for today, I found myself looking to a passage recommended by my Bible.  It sent me to Luke 11:8, "I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness (persistence, in some translations) he will get up and give him as much as he needs."  These two parables are about persisting in prayer, but the persistence is for different reasons.  In 18 it's persistence for justice; in 11 it's persistence for providence.  Question then...What should I be persistent about in prayer?  The two topics from the parables lead me think about what I know about prayer through the example Jesus set.  In the Lord's Prayer we open with praise, pray for God's will to be done, daily providence, forgiveness, deliverance, and finish with praise.  The two topics from the parables are in the Lord's Prayer, which provides us with the answer to the question.  Persistence in prayer is centered around: God's will, providence, forgiveness, and deliverance.  Assessing my own prayer habits, do I center my persistent prayers around these topics?  Sometimes yes, other times no.  I'm challenged to be persistent in prayer and to re-center my requests, focusing on God's will, His providence, forgiveness, and deliverance for myself and others.

**Please note, this post is solely about bringing requests to God in prayer.  Remember, prayer is a dialogue meant for more than just our requests.  Listening to God and offering Him praise are necessities in prayer as well.

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