Gospel Commentary: The Power of Persistent Prayer

By Fr. Jack Peterson
Herald Columnist
(From the issue of 7/22/04)

What do we do when "No" seems to be the answer to our prayers? We have all prayed for a special petition and not received the answer we were looking for. Today’s Scripture passages address the difficult and challenging reality of prayers of petition. What is God saying to us through these readings about intercessory prayer?

First of all, the Spirit is encouraging us through both the Old Testament and the Gospel readings to persevere in prayer. Abraham finds himself pleading to God for mercy upon the people of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which the Lord was threatening to destroy because of their moral transgressions. Abraham asks God: "Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?" One line that stands out in this passage is, "But Abraham persisted." In the end, God says that He will not destroy the city if He finds 10 innocent people. Abraham’s persistence has an effect upon the Lord.

In the Gospel today, Luke follows up Jesus’ introduction of the "Our Father" with a story about a person who receives what he needs from a rather hesitant neighbor "because of his persistence." The truth is that sometimes God tests us and the authenticity of our request by requiring that we persist in our prayer over time. So with certain prayer requests, it may seem at the outset that God’s answer to our prayer is "No," when in fact He just wants to see if we really do need something, and if we really do trust Him to deliver that need.

On the other hand, there are times when we just simply ask for the wrong thing. We can be so blinded by our selfishness and our limited perspective on life that we just ask the Lord for something that is not good for us. So, it is true that the Lord’s answer to some of our prayers is a simple "No."

The key to prayers of petition lies at the heart of the Our Father: "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This is one of the most defining elements of Jesus’ life and ministry, His commitment to doing the will of His Father. It is one of the defining elements of Mary’s life that made her a perfect disciple of her Son. "Let it be done unto me according to your word" (Lk 1:38). The more we grow in our love for our Father, the more we desire what He desires. As our faith in God matures, we find ourselves only wanting what He wants for ourselves and for the world. So, the prayer of the Christian begins to imitate the prayer of Jesus, and we find ourselves only asking for what God wills. So, of course, our prayers, like those of Christ, are answered because all we ask is that His will be done.

Now, when was the last time you asked for the Holy Spirit? "If you then who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

Fr. Peterson is campus minister at Marymount University in Arlington and director of the Youth Apostles Institute.

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