Have you ever had somebody keep asking your for something over and over and over again until you finally give in and give them what they want? If you’re a mom, the answer to that is probably yes. I used to think I was so strong…then I became a mom!
Our Neighbor, LJ
One of our neighbors is an eight-year-old boy named LJ. Almost every day during the summer, LJ shows up at our house multiple times a day and opens the door. “Hey, is Malachi in there? Can he come out and play?”
For the first couple weeks after we met LJ, we tried tirelessly to get LJ not to open the door without knocking first. He would stand in the doorway and ask what the kids were doing and when they could come out to play. We would tell him he needs to knock first and can’t just open the door and stand in the doorway. Honestly, it was more stressful than just letting him come in. So, we finally gave up one day after it had happened at least ten times and just said, “Sure, LJ. Come on in.” It’s pretty much a standing invitation now; he comes over whenever he wants to and comes inside, even if it’s 7:30 in the morning and the younger girls are still asleep.
What LJ Taught Us
Matt looked at me the other day and said, “I think LJ is the perfect example of what God has in mind when he tells us to keep asking.”
I laughed. “Yeah, you’re right.”
LJ never gave up; that kid has tenacity. He wore us down over time until we finally just gave him a standing invite to come in whenever. Jesus teaches a story about prayer that reminds Matt and I a lot of LJ.
Jesus’ Story about Prayer
When Jesus was teaching the disciples to pray, he gave them an example of what to pray. We know it as the Lord’s prayer. Right after that, he launches into a story to help illustrate how to pray.
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 NLT
Importunity
There’s a word that describes this type of prayer. It’s called importunity. Importunity is defined as: persistence, especially to the point of annoyance. It doesn’t sound like a very flattering word, and yet this is what God wants from us when we come to him in prayer. It’s not giving up after the fourth, fifth, hundredth, thousandth prayer. It’s persevering and not giving up until God says, “Okay, because of your shameless persistence, I will answer you.”
LJ Wore Us Down
When I think of all the times we told LJ not to come in, I just laugh. He wore us down, and we changed out minds out of sheer frustration.
What would happen if we took that same attitude towards our requests to God? What if we didn’t give up once or twice or even after a hundred times. If we just kept praying and asking and believing that God is going to answer our prayer, what would happen? I believe we’d see more of our prayers answered. We can all learn a lesson from LJ. Don’t give up. Keep asking, seeking, knocking. Keep praying until God answers that prayer; it’s always too soon to give up on prayer!
For More Encouragement
If you enjoyed this post, check out Finding the Tenacity to Wrestle with God. A great book to read on this topic is Mark Batterson’s The Circle Maker.
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