Listen to this devotion
Persistence
In the Word
… pray without ceasing … (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Of the Word
I think it’s safe to say that babies are born with little patience. They want to eat … NOW. They need a diaper change … NOW. They want to be picked up … NOW. And when they don’t get what they want NOW, they are very persistent in letting you know about it.
Jesus approves of persistence. In his Gospel, Luke recorded a parable Jesus told His disciples about always praying and not giving up. In the parable, a widow kept approaching an unrighteous judge to demand justice against her adversary. Because of her persistence, the judge granted her the justice she was seeking. (Luke 18:1–8)
The lesson of Jesus’ parable is this: if an unrighteous judge will listen to the persistent cries of a widow and give to her what she asks, how much more will our loving, righteous God listen to the persistent prayers of His people?
The apostle Paul encourages us to be persistent as we learn to pray without ceasing. We have God’s assurance that He will hear us and He will answer us.
Walking with my Lord
Gracious God, I am thankful I can, with confidence, approach You in prayer, knowing You will always hear and answer me. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Mustard Seed: Love, Laughter, and Lullabies. DCE Amanda Stacy, author. 5/30 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
