A Divine Lesson on Persistence

It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.

attributed to Albert Einstein

Suppose a friend of yours stopped by unexpectedly.

They’re on a long road trip, and you happen to live along their path. 

It’s close to midnight and you invite them to stay for supper and spend the night in your spare bedroom.

But there’s only one problem. 

You have nothing you could offer them to eat. So you go to your neighbor’s house (another friend) and say:

“Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.”

But they respond from their bedroom saying:

“Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.”

“Some friend” you think to yourself.

Undeterred, you keep knocking on his door and pestering him shamelessly. He finally jumps out of bed, gives you the three loaves plus some meat and fruit just to make sure you don’t return.

You gratefully receive the loaves, saying to your exasperated friend, “Hope I didn’t wake the kids…”

We’re afraid to ask for what we want

If you’re thinking this is a ridiculous scenario you’re unlikely to find yourself in, most reasonable people would agree.

None of us want to be seen as a bother. And unless your house is burning down, you’d never think to knock on your neighbor’s door at midnight, no matter how close your friendship.

But this scenario is almost exactly what Jesus presented his disciples as he taught them how to pray (Luke 11:5-8). He went on to utter these famous lines: 

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Luke 11:9-10

Jesus appears to be saying that, not only should we not be afraid to ask God for what we need in prayer, but we should be persistent in our prayer and not give up until we get what we need.

However, two thousand years after these words were uttered, we’re still afraid to ask for what we want. 

In fact, we’re so afraid of our deepest desires that we keep then tucked away in the deepest recesses of our heart, far away from God or anyone who may be willing or able to help us realize our dreams.

Maybe you find yourself feeling stuck emotionally, spiritually, or financially. Maybe you feel hopeless as you drift from one meaningless task to another, believing that your efforts aren’t moving you any closer to what you truly want, need or desire.

So you find yourself quitting after making feeble attempts to get what you want. You stop believing you have what it takes. You bury your dreams. And you stop asking.

Why?

Could it be because you were taught that asking (and praying) for what you want is selfish? 

Because you feel emotionally vulnerable asking for things? Because you’re afraid of being seen as a pest or worse?

Maybe you feel resentful over unanswered prayer in the past.

Maybe you value self-reliance above all else.

Maybe you have a hard time being rejected, much less being rejected over and over.

Maybe you’ve lost a sense of vision or overall life purpose.

Or maybe you just feel unworthy.

You’re more persistent than you think

You may think you’re not as persistent as your imagined self in the story. But you’re more persistent than you think. This is a beautiful truth.

Each time you decide to engage the marketplace to earn your daily bread, you’re being persistent.

Each time you attempt to reach a wayward child, you’re being persistent.

Each time you decide to keep your counseling appointment, you’re being persistent.

Each time you maintain the boundaries you’ve set for a relationship, you’re being persistent.

Each time you open your eyes after a night’s rest and get out of bed to face another day, you’re being persistent.

You may not be asking for what you want out loud, but it’s implied in your actions. 

Remembering who you are

You’re more persistent than you think.

Start with this truth. And eventually, you’ll dare to dream big again. You’ll dare to speak up and ask for what you want, even when you’re refused.

Children understand this intuitively. They have no trouble pestering their parents for what they want and need.

Because persistence has less to do with getting what you want.

It’s about remembering who you are—a child of God.