Is it okay to pray for the same thing over and over?
The Unjust Judge
In the Gospel of Luke Jesus tells a story to his disciples to show them they should always pray and never give up. He tells them about a judge who did not fear God, nor did he care about people. A widow came to this judge one day and said, “Give me justice against my enemy.” The judge ignored the lady 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!”
The Lord then said, “Learn a lesson from the unjust judge. Even the judge gave a 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. (Luke 18:1-7)
Keep On Asking
In another story told to his disciples Jesus said, “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, a friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat. And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you. But I tell you this, though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. 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. (Luke 11:5-9)
These two stories from the Bible encourage us to always pray, never give up, keep knocking, and keep on asking. The woman was given justice because of her constant request. In the second scenario, Jesus says shameless persistence will get you what you need, and that if you keep on asking you will receive what you ask for. With the woman, and also with the one wanting to borrow bread, the same thing was repeatedly being asked for.
Jesus And Paul Prayed Repeatedly For The Same Thing
When Jesus was praying at Gethsemane, the Bible says he left his disciples and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing (Mathew 26:44). Also we read where Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to remove the thorn in his flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). These are examples that show us it is okay to pray for the same thing more than once.
When we pray for the same thing over and over, there must be a willingness to accept that the answer from God will sometimes be no. God did not remove Paul’s thorn, but he did provide him with a sufficient amount of grace. We must also keep in mind that when praying, whatever we ask for must be according to God’s will (1 John 5:14), and we must have the right motives are we can not expect to receive an answer from God (James 4:2-3).
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