"And He told a parable with the purpose that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” Luke 18:1

The bottom line we need to keep in mind in our prayers of spiritual conflict is: What does the enemy care about our prayers unless we pray until God answers? Thus, the Lord needs to teach us to be persistent in our prayers. When prayers are held up and delayed, we need to hold on and persist in prayer as Daniel did (Dan 10:1-14). Jacob’s night of wrestling with God might never have been mentioned in the Bible if he had not held on and absolutely refused to be denied! That was of course of picture of his wrestling with God in prayer. As a result of his relentless persistence, Jacob got much more than he was asking for. He was merely asking God to deliver him from his offended brother Esau and perhaps his uncle Laban on his tail. But not only did God give reconciliation there — He changed Jacob’s very name to “Israel,” — a prince of God (Gen 32:1-30). Of course, if there had been nothing else but in the process of our prayers our nature is changed into Christ's image in increasing degree, it would have been worth the time spent in prayer.

The King’s decrees that the wise men should be slain, as we're told in the second chapter of the Book of Daniel, was apparently a disastrous thing, a fatal crisis. But it only drove Daniel and his three friends to desperate prayer — more desperate perhaps than they had ever known before; thus, meeting God’s conditions of importunity and faith in prayer, God was able to do great and mighty things on their behalf and for His glory! Any delay, obstacle, or hold-ups to our answer should be only a signal for deeper heart searching and more wholehearted, resolute crying out to God until He fully answers!

It was only by persistent praying about the thorn in his flesh until God answered that Paul got that wonderful revelation of the all “sufficient grace” of Christ (2Cor 12:7-10). Of course, God's answer to the apostle Paul was a “No” in this case; nonetheless, the all-sufficient grace of Christ was what he really needed and what he got! Micah, the prophet, failed God somewhere along the line — he sinned against God as some of us do sometimes, and Micah said, “I will bear the indignation of the Lord . . . until He plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: He will bring me forth to the light” (Mic 1:7-10). Oh, may God grant us to see that the hard place is His bugle call for a more earnest, a more desperate faith on our part! God is faithful (1Cor 10:12,13). God is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek after Him (Heb 11:6). “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matt 11:12).

“Faith . . . operates through love” (Gal 5:6). May God give us such an intense, unselfish love for Him and His people that faith will impel us to lay hold on God until He fully answers! In Luke 18:1-8 we see that the widow kept after the unjust judge until she had the assurance that she would be avenged of her adversary. David fasted and prayed for seven days until he knew what God’s will was, and even though his child died, David did not fail to pray until God’s will was clear in the matter (2Sam 12:1-23). Let us remember we are soldiers of God (2Tim 2:3) in a battle (2Tim. 4:7); we are fighting the good fight of faith(1Tim. 6:12). We wrestle against the powers of darkness (Eph 6:10-20). Let us not be tricked by any surrounding situations that would cause us to be dishearten into halting our persistent prayer and have full faith in God until we hear from Him!

Let us be definite and mean business with God, then expect to receive definite answers from Him who cannot lie; from Him who loves His children with a Father’s tender love. Let us glorify God by believing in Him(“He who comes to God must believe that He is...” Hebrews 11:6a)—believing His Word in the face of every sort of adverse circumstance— refusing to entertain any thoughts that would cause us to doubt God, but, like Abraham, being “strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Rom 4:13-25). The Lord never told us that there would be no dark tunnels in the journey of our lives. But, thank God, “Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness” (Psa. 112:4). So brothers and sister, by His grace, trusting in His love, we need to press through the tunnel — there is light at the end of the tunnel! Are you “pressed out of measure”? (2Cor 1:8,9). Then don’t trust in yourself, on others, or other semblance of security, but trust in God—“Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psa 55:22).

“And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily” (Luke 18:7,8).