G17. Being Continuous, Persistent, & Fervent in Prayer. [Make a Comment]
We are to be continuous, persistent, & fervent in our prayers of petition.
This precept is derived from His Word (blessed be He):
Key Scriptures
Romans 12:11-12
Don't be lazy when hard work is needed, but serve the Lord with
spiritual fervor. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in your troubles, and
continue steadfastly in prayer.
Ephesians 6:18
... as you pray at all times, with all kinds of prayers and requests, in the
Spirit, vigilantly and persistently, for all God's people.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Pray regularly. [NKJ: Pray without ceasing].
James 5:16
Therefore, openly acknowledge your sins to one another, and pray for each
other, so that you may be healed. The [NKJ: effective fervent] prayer of a
righteous person is powerful and effective.
Supportive Scriptures
Genesis 18:23-33
Avraham approached and said, "Will you actually sweep away the righteous
with the wicked? Maybe there are fifty righteous people in the city; will
you actually sweep the place away, and not forgive it for the sake of the
fifty righteous who are there? Far be it from you to do such a thing - to
kill the righteous along with the wicked, so that the righteous and the
wicked are treated alike! Far be it from you! Shouldn't the judge of
all the earth do what is just?" ADONAI said, "If I find in S'dom fifty
who are righteous, then I will forgive the whole place for their sake."
Avraham answered, "Here now, I, who am but dust and ashes, have taken it
upon myself to speak to Adonai. What if there are five less than fifty
righteous?" He said, "I won't destroy it if I find forty-five there."
He spoke to him yet again: "What if forty are found there?" He said, "For
the sake of the forty I won't do it." He said, "I hope Adonai
won't be angry if I speak. What if thirty are found there?" He said, "I
won't do it if I find thirty there." He said, "Here now, I have taken
it upon myself to speak to Adonai. What if twenty are found there?" He said,
"For the sake of the twenty I won't destroy it." He said, "I hope
Adonai won't be angry if I speak just once more. What if ten are found
there?" He said, "For the sake of the ten I won't destroy it." ADONAI
went on his way as soon as he had finished speaking to Avraham, and Avraham
returned to his place.
Genesis 32:25-29(24-28)
... and Ya'akov was left alone. Then some man wrestled with him until
daybreak. When he saw that he did not defeat Ya'akov, he struck
Ya'akov's hip socket, so that his hip was dislocated while
wrestling with him. The man said, "Let me go, because it's daybreak."
But Ya'akov replied, "I won't let you go unless you bless me."
The man asked, "What is your name?" and he answered, "Ya'akov." Then
the man said, "From now on, you will no longer be called Ya'akov, but
Isra'el; because you have shown your strength to both God and men and
have prevailed."
Deuteronomy 9:25-29
So I fell down before ADONAI for those forty days and nights; and I lay
there; because ADONAI had said he would destroy you. I prayed to ADONAI; I
said, 'Adonai ELOHIM! Don't destroy your people, your inheritance!
You redeemed them through your greatness, you brought them out of Egypt with
a strong hand! Remember your servants Avraham, Yitz'chak and
Ya'akov! Don't focus on the stubbornness of this people, or on
their wickedness or on their sin. Otherwise, the land you brought us out of
will say, "It is because ADONAI wasn't able to bring them into the land
he promised them and because he hated them that he has brought them out to
kill them in the desert." But in fact they are your people, your
inheritance, whom you brought out by your great power and your outstretched
arm.'
Psalms 116:1-2
I love that ADONAI heard my voice when I prayed; because he turned his ear
to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
Psalms 119:147
I rise before dawn and cry for help; I put my hope in your word.
1 Chronicles 16:11
Seek ADONAI and his strength; always seek his presence.
Matthew 7:7-11
Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find;
keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps
asking receives; he who keeps seeking finds; and to him who keeps knocking,
the door will be opened. Is there anyone here who, if his son asks him for
a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? or if he asks for a fish, will give
him a snake? So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your
children gifts that are good, how much more will your Father in heaven keep
giving good things to those who keep asking him!
Luke 11:9-13
Moreover, I myself say to you: keep asking, and it will be given to you;
keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened
to you. For everyone who goes on asking receives; and he who goes on
seeking finds; and to him who continues knocking, the door will be opened.
Is there any father here who, if his son asked him for a fish, would instead
of a fish give him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg would give him a
scorpion? So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your
children gifts that are good, how much more will the Father keep giving the
Ruach HaKodesh from heaven to those who keep asking him!
Luke 18:1-7
Then Yeshua told his talmidim a parable, in order to impress on them that
they must always keep praying and not lose heart. In a certain town, there
was a judge who neither feared God nor respected other people. There was
also in that town a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me a
judgment against the man who is trying to ruin me.' For a long time he
refused; but after awhile, he said to himself, 'I don't fear God,
and I don't respect other people; but because this widow is such a
nudnik, I will see to it that she gets justice - otherwise, she'll keep
coming and pestering me till she wears me out!'" Then the Lord
commented, "Notice what this corrupt judge says. Now won't God grant
justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Is he
delaying long over them?
Luke 22:42-44
Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, let not my
will but yours be done." There appeared to him an angel from heaven giving
him strength, and in great anguish he prayed more intensely, so that his
sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Acts 1:13-14
After entering the city, they went to the upstairs room where they were
staying. The names of the emissaries were Kefa, Ya'akov, Yochanan,
Andrew, Philip, T'oma, Bar-Talmai, Mattityahu, Ya'akov Ben-Halfai,
Shim'on "the Zealot," and Y'hudah Ben-Ya'akov. These all
devoted themselves single-mindedly to prayer, along with some women,
including Miryam (Yeshua's mother), and his brothers.
Acts 2:41-42
So those who accepted what he said were immersed, and there were added to
the group that day about three thousand people. They continued faithfully
in the teaching of the emissaries, in fellowship, in breaking bread and in
the prayers.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
Therefore, to keep me from becoming overly proud, I was given a thorn in my
flesh, a messenger from the Adversary to pound away at me, so that I
wouldn't grow conceited. Three times I begged the Lord to take this
thing away from me; but he told me, "My grace is enough for you, for my
power is brought to perfection in weakness." Therefore, I am very happy to
boast about my weaknesses, in order that the Messiah's power will rest
upon me.
Hebrews 13:15
Through him, therefore, let us offer God a sacrifice of praise continually.
For this is the natural product of lips that acknowledge his name.
Commentary
The Scriptures that support this Mitzvah speak for themselves and, for the most part, require little embellishment. I will, however, comment on one of them that is often misunderstood. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (according to many translations) the Apostle Paul exhorts us to:
Pray without ceasing.
If looked at the Scripture wrongly, it seems impossible to do and still conduct the other affairs of life. Therefore, I believe that Paul is referring, not to formal prayer where we stop everything and speak with God, but rather to the continuous dialogue that believers are able to have with God as we walk with Him (and He with us) throughout the day.
Classical Commentators
This Mitzvah is not addressed by any of the classical commentators.
NCLA: JMm JFm KMm KFm GMm GFm