May 1

So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. — Luke 11:9 BSB

Wherever there is true prayer, there is persistence. Whenever the Lord brings trials upon a soul, He pours out the spirit of grace and supplication, encouraging and enabling the soul to persist in seeking Him. The Lord emphasizes the blessings and benefits of perseverance in prayer through two parables—the man in bed with his children who initially refused to help his friend but was moved by his persistence, and the woman who kept going to the unjust judge, who neither feared God nor cared about people, but was eventually worn down by her continual requests (Luke 11:5-8; 18:1-7).

Persistence and perseverance are at the heart of true prayer. If a child of God is burdened—facing strong temptation or enduring a pressing trial—they are not content with simply approaching the throne of grace and walking away. During such times, as the Lord enables, there is real persistence: holy wrestling, fervent desires, unceasing groans, laboring to enter into rest, striving for deliverance, and crying out to the Lord until He appears and manifests Himself to the soul.