Is It Necessary To Be Persistent In Our Prayers?

Guys, have we asked ourselves on the following: How is our prayer life at the moment? How persistent are we in our prayers to God? The reason for these questions is in view of the Gospel reading for today which primarily encourages us to unceasingly and persistently pray to God. In the said reading, our Lord Jesus Christ himself imparted to his disciples to “pray always without becoming weary”.

Some, if not almost all, of us have prayed to God and received an answer in return. Whether or not it is long or short prayer, the act of doing and how we do it make all the difference.

Since childhood, I have been a staunch believer in prayers (thanks to our “Inay” for teaching us on how to pray), in its power to accomplish something and realize dreams. Many things in my life and up to now, God has been listening and answering some of my prayers. But to be candid about my prayer life, there were times in the past that my prayer mode became erratic and inconsistent, making my prayer life weak due to interior challenges and worldly distractions. And I totally regretted this; I wished I could have been more focused on God from the very start of my life. Despite these challenges, however, prayerfulness has been a part of my life, and it has now evolved into a more inclusive one. We have to be spiritually matured persons to be able to battle distractions and temptations since based on some accounts, the devil is doubly working hard to interrupt us during moments of prayer, to discourage us from praying, or worse, to discontinue our praying time.

Surely, not all prayer intentions are being answered. But it doesn’t matter at all. We just have to wait for the answer hoping it may come later or we simply let it pass, believing that perhaps God has something much better in store for us than what we’ve asked for. Believe me, I’m like a young kid when I pray even at this age of time, particularly when it comes to personal needs. It’s very private as if I’m just having a conversation with a very close and trusted friend, confiding and detailing the things I need and wish for, may not necessarily be for myself but for others who require help as well. Are you doing the same thing too?

While some find it comforting to commune with God, others may not feel the same way. For some of us, praying is not that easy, how much more in heeding the call to pray persistently? For those who find it hard to pray, it is advised to start uttering those words, those coming from the heart, even few brief sentences of what to say to God, that could serve as a prelude to a meaningful prayer life. Taking baby steps at a time could achieve a paradigm shift, so to speak, for someone to be prayerful and faithful to God. However, some of us tend to stay away from praying. As I have said earlier, it has occurred to me too – I mean setting aside prayers for other activities which I thought were more important but to realize later they weren’t important at all. Based on accounts, even some of the Saints have encountered and struggled distractions during their prayers and meditations. But what is beautiful is that they were able to overcome these distractions.

So, does God wants us to be persistent in our prayers? Definitely so! Our Lord Jesus seemed to have appreciated the persistence of the widowed woman in the Gospel who persevered in going to a judge several times just to present her case. And because of her persistence, the judge gave in and ruled in her favor. So, how much more with God, right? God’s love for us is everlasting and his mercy is immeasurable, even to those who had shortcomings and failures in life. He will always be there to welcome and embrace us whenever we turn to Him and persistently seek forgiveness. Besides, we should be reminded of what Jesus said: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” And with our persistent prayers and with what Jesus had said, the more He will hear our prayers, we just have to wait for that time to come when God will answer us, no matter what. What we have to do is simply to confide, trust and deepen our faith in Him.

Let us pray to our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph to intercede for our intentions, specificially for God to grant us the graces necessary to be persistent not only in our prayers but also in doing good things for our neighbors which will eventually make us closer to and best friends with God. Amen.

O Holy Mary, our hope, handmaid of the Lord, pray for us.

Jesus, King of Mercy, we trust in You. Amen.