Studies by Book
Luke 11 5-13 Persistent prayer Persistent prayer 1
📖 Luke 11:5-13
*To be with Him* _Luke 11:5-13_
After giving the disciples the teaching about prayer, our Lord continues on and teaches them the importance of persistent prayer. He teaches them this lesson, through a parable.
A man went to his friend, at midnight, asking for three loaves of bread, since his friend had come and he had nothing to set before him. The friend, to whom he had gone, asking for bread, was already in bed and was in no position to get up and give him what he wanted. He also had no obligation to get up from bed and meet this man’s need but yet he got up and gave this man as many as he needed because this man was persistent.
A similar story is narrated by our Lord in _Luke 18:1-8._ Here a widow goes to an unjust judge for justice from an adversary. The unjust judge, who did not fear God or man, was in no way concerned for the need of the widow. Yet he takes action regarding her problem for she was persistent.
The point that our Lord is getting across to us, is, will He not, more readily, hear our prayer if we ask Him? He longs to hear and answer our prayer but the question is, what are we persistent about, in our prayer to God?
As we look within ourselves and as we look around us, the matters that are of a persistent nature, for us, are related to our own personal need and very often they are of a material or temporal nature. Is this what should occupy our lives?
What should be the matters for persistent prayer that God longs to see in us? Here in the passage in _Luke 11_ the primary matter for persistent prayer is to ask God for the Holy Spirit _Luke 11:13._ In the passage in _Luke 18_ the matter for persistent prayer is for faith in God _Luke 18:8._
We will consider these in the upcoming studies but today, we will look at the one matter that the Lord wanted for His disciples, when He chose them. He wanted them *to be with Him* _Mark 3:14._ Our sufficiency is God _II Corinthians 3:5._ All things hold together in Him _Colossians 1:17._ In Him we live and move and have our being _Acts17:28-29._
*We must be persistent for God.* Are we? Do we go to God as a means to another end? Will we today make Him our goal and our destination?
*Thought to ponder*
```Philippians 3:10 that I may know Him…```