Prayer is such a mysterious thing…until you see an answer.

Luke 18:1-7 NIV Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually come and attack me!' ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?

Sometimes I think my prayers are unimportant or that maybe I’m praying wrong or that the answer is no and I’m not listening. But if Jesus bothered to tell a story instructing us to persist in prayer, and under divine protection this story has been passed along for over 2000 years, who am I to stop battling for people I know in prayer? And the most important part is that yes, I have seen my prayers answered. They are seldom answered instantly (although that has happened too). Some answers have taken decades. And it is a glorious thing because I know my Creator has heard and responded to my prayers even though I don’t deserve his attention.

Never, ever give up in prayer.