Text: Luke 11:5-8   And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

If we intend to accomplish great things for Christ, we must not only pray, we must have some endurance with our prayers. We must persist in our prayer life, never quitting, being steadfast regardless of our circumstances. 

Many people seem to quit praying when they don’t see an immediate answer. Sadly, they never accomplish much for Christ as a result. 

Christ is teaching us from this text about the need of perseverance in our prayer life! The request in this passage was a legitimate need, and it seemed to come from a very earnest heart. The late notice of this request came because a friend showed up late. 

It was customary in Bible times for the host not only to provide lodging but also food for their guests as well. 

Serving the Lord does not always come at convenient times! If we are going to be true servants of Christ, we must be willing to pay the price with our personal schedule. 

The honorable thing about this request is seen by the fact that it was for someone else. This was not a selfish request. Our culture is so very focused on what we can get rather than on what we can give. 

This request was met with a deliberate refusal. We must remember in our prayer life that God’s delays are not God’s denials. If your request is not answered at first, just keep on praying!

Our faith needs to be subjected to tough situations if it is going to develop strength within us. When God refuses to answer your prayer at the first request and that refusal seems harsh, it certainly does not mean God is disinterested or unwilling to answer, but it does mean that He might want to strengthen your faith. Few things strengthen our faith like a delay in answered prayer.

We must realize that there are some doors that God wants us to pray open. Don’t ask for things outside the will of God for your selfish purposes.

James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

When we are full of ourselves, we will not be asking God for things that He will have any desire to grant. 

Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart”

If we delight ourselves in the Lord, the desires of our hearts will be purified, and the things we ask the Lord for will be things that please Him.  

The continual asking or importunity of his request resulted in deep generosity. The man did not receive the three loaves he was given, but he was given as many as he needed. When we persevere in prayer, we gain so much. God requires endurance in our prayer life if we want to receive much from the Lord.

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John Evertson

John Evertson, GSBC Campus Pastor

In June 2000, after graduating from Golden State Baptist College, John Evertson answered the call to pastor West Valley Baptist Church in Woodland, California. After 19 years, God moved Pastor and Mrs. Evertson to Santa Clara. Pastor Evertson is instrumental in the church and serves as the Campus Pastor for Golden State Baptist College to help guide the future servants of God. Pastor & Mrs. Evertson have four children — Josiah, Jeremiah, Joy, and Joshua.