Persistence in Prayer

Something that has been on my mind lately is the importance of being persistent in my prayers. Yes, I know God says He would give whatever we ask for as long as we remain in Him. As He says in John 15:7, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." But yet why, at times, it seems as though God doesn't answer my prayers? I've asked, believed, and exercised my faith. Why didn't God answer my prayer? The answer is found in this parable.

Luke 18
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
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 about men. 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 about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "

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? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly."

Another verse, Acts 12:5

"So Peter was kept in prison, but fervent prayer for him was persistently made to God by the church."

At times, God wants us to be persistent in our prayers. Maybe the answer is just around the corner. Don't stop praying. Keep asking, knocking. He will give whatever we ask for at the appropriate time unless He reveals to us otherwise. And when He shows us otherwise, it is probably either that we have the wrong intentions, which is why His answer is 'no', or He definitely has something better in store for us, which is why His answer is 'wait'. But while He reveals that to us, let us be persistent in our prayers.