Matthew 6:7-8 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

LUKE 11:5-8  And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6  For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7  And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

Here is an interesting question for us to answer:

How do we break apart the monotonous from persistence?

Jesus reveals that we are not to use “vain repetitions”, yet we are always called to be persistent in our prayers. How can this be? Let us look at two important truths:

1. Quantity of words does not mean quality of prayer.
2. However, importunity does not mean insignificant.

Jesus showed that:

The vibrancy in prayer is authentic adoration not routine rhetoric.

Persistence deals more with heart than with tongue.

When you persist in prayer, is it from a heart of faith or from a head of formality?

You see, we can be so caught up in words that we lose the wonder of Who He IS.

Often in prayer I have had to ask myself this question:

Are you a lawyer in a courthouse or a son in the storehouse?

The devil would have us think that we are a like a lawyer coming to God, the Judge of all, trying to make our case with many words why He should hear and answer us. Yet, we must realize that the first step in powerful praying is “Our Father”. We are His children and He is our Father. He loves us and in prayer we are in a storehouse of blessings, not a courthouse of condemnation.

Also,

God wants to hear your heart more than your tongue.

Andrew – “Sometimes in our prayers we are so occupied with our fervent, urgent petitions that we forget that the Father knows and hears.”

Such prayer is not in the eloquence of the tongue, but in:

1. The confidence of the heart and
2. The persistence of the soul

It is:

*Prayer that is rooted in God’s purposes and word
*Not my feelings, but what the Word of God says
*Prayer that is saturated with faith in God’s power and love

Matthew 7:7-11