Persistent Pleading

Is it right to constantly plead your case before God?  Won’t he get irritated like any earthly parent who is hounded by a persistent child?

Yes, it is right, says Jesus.  And no, he won’t get irritated.

In fact, Wesley L. Duewel says in his book Mighty Prevailing Prayer that pleading in prayer is fundamental to answered prayer - if it is according to God’s will.

Jesus touches on the importance of persistent pleading in his story about the widow who plagued an unjust judge with repeated demands for justice in her case (Luke 18:1-8). The judge eventually gives in reluctantly to her incessant petitions.

Unlike the unjust judge, Christ says that God is glad to answer his children’s requests.

Duewel says that successful pleading depends above all on your relationship with God.  

“Be sure that you are arguing for that which glorifies God, for the extension of God’s kingdom and in accordance with God’s will.”

You can be bold with your arguments before the Lord once the Holy Spirit and God’s word in the scriptures confirm that your desire is God’s will.

“Presenting your case and detailing your arguments not only pleases God, it helps you understand the need more completely, moves your compassion, strengthens your determination, and arms you with greater holy hunger,” writes Duewel.

He recommends the following ways for presenting your case before God:

• Plead the honour and glory of God’s name.  Will God’s name be glorified if he grants your request? “The glory of God should be the prime motive in all you do.”
• Plead God’s relationship to you.  You can approach God confidently, knowing that he created you; he redeemed you; he is your helper; and he is your Father.
• Plead God’s attributes.  These include God’s righteousness, his faithfulness, and his mercy and compassion.
• Plead the sorrows and needs of the people.  People like Daniel and Nehemiah in the Bible “identified with people, especially the people of God, in their sufferings”.  God feels the sufferings of his people, so this plea reaches his heart.
• Plead the past answers to prayer.  Point out how God has worked in the past, praising him for what he has done.
• Plead the word of God and the promises of God.  Duewel notes how Abraham, Jacob and Moses among others, underlined what God had already promised as they outlined their requests to the Lord.
• Plead the blood of Jesus. “There is no more prevailing argument we can bring before God than the sufferings, blood, and death of his Son.”

A great way to guide effective prayers!