Vision Quest – Don’t Stop Believing: Persevering In Prayer

*Some call it a quiet time. We call it a Vision Quest. This is a simple Bible study to help you along your journey of discovering God’s purpose for your life.

There are times in all of our lives that make us want to quit and give up. Getting passed up for a promotion at work, receiving a bad grade on a test, or even getting stuck in traffic. But those are the times when God wants us to go against our instinct to quit, turn to him in persevering prayer, and find purpose through the pain.

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

Luke 18:1-8

God tells us that prayer keeps us from giving up. If we have the faith to fight for what we really want and keep asking God for it, he promises it will be granted.

In this scripture the widow, did not quit asking for what she wanted. This scripture is an invitation from God to continue to ask for those things everyday. What have you given up on because you have not seen it come true?

Start praying about what you want to see God do in your life and in the lives of others. Continue to pray until you see your prayers come true.

Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

James 5:17-18

Elijah stopped the rain on earth for three and a half years and when he asked for it to rain again, it did! The only way he was able to accomplish this was through perseverance in prayer.

Do you believe that you can change anything if you have faith in prayer? What would you like to see change in your life that you’ve been too afraid to go to God with?

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Luke 11:9-10

Three things Jesus says are key to prayer: ask, seek, knock.

What are you asking for? What are you seeking? Where are you knocking?

Jesus says that if we ask, seek, and knock, our prayers will be answered.

I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.

Mark 11:24-25

Here Jesus tells us what hinders prayer and that is an unwillingness to forgive others.

What is blocking your prayer life? Who or what do you need to forgive?

The scripture also says that we forgive others so that God can forgive us. This means that if we are unable to have faith and forgive, our prayers will go unanswered.

Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”

He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”

Luke 22:39-46

Why should we pray? Prayer helps us overcome temptations.  Prayer strengthens us.  Prayer gives us hope and faith.  It helps see what God has planned for our lives.

In this scripture Jesus prayed to God about what he wanted and even he needed help in his prayers.

What can you start asking God for today?  Make a list and keep track of them so that you can persevere in prayer and watch as God answers them.