Perservere in Prayer

James 1:5

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

     The text of James is plain and clear. Simply ask God for wisdom, and He will give it. If, as a Christian, you have asked God for wisdom and not received it, there are at least two possibilities. The next verse in James gives one possibility: a lack of faith. It is just as effective not to ask for wisdom at all than to ask with doubt. Doubt does not merely rob the Christian of an answered prayer, but puts him in danger, for James 1:8 says that such a man is

     "double-minded [and] unstable in all his ways."

     The second possibility for a lack of receiving comes from a lack of persistence in prayer. According to Hebrews 11:6, God rewards those who diligently seek Him. Notice the word "diligently."

     Moses spent 40 days in prayer to receive the ten commandments.

     Jeremiah spent 10 days in prayer to receive an answer for the captains of the remnant of Judah.

     Jesus spent all night in prayer before choosing His 12 disciples.

     Often times, we become angry at God for not answering our prayers, but what right do we have to be angry at God when we do not persist in our prayers? Look at how the men of the Bible prayed! We want the blessings they received without paying the price they payed. He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. Our small praying will never yield big results.

     Jesus is both able and willing to do abundantly more than we ask or think. He has given us a blank check, He is just waiting for us to cash it. But as Jesus tragically states in Luke 18:8,

     "...when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"