“Don’t give up.” These are the words every tired marathon runner, every exhausted parent, and every weary heart needs to hear. It takes courage to start a project, but often, it takes even more courage to persist when we are stuck in the middle, and we’re not sure we will make it to the end.

In Luke 18, Jesus taught the parable of the persistent widow. Through this story, Jesus teaches us how to pray persistently because He knows how easy it is to get weary and discouraged. He shows us that tirelessly bringing our needs and concerns to God is not nagging or irritating to Him, but rather a sign of faithful trust in Him.

Are you weary of praying for something? Relief from some hardship? The salvation of a loved one? Justice, peace, or deliverance? Imagine Jesus Himself standing on the sidelines of this long, long race and whispering to you: “Don’t give up talking to me about this.”

There are some prayers God will answer immediately, while others may take days, weeks, months, years, or even lifetimes. While it might seem like those requests have been forgotten or denied, Jesus’ challenge to us is this: if He were to return right now, would we still trust His faithfulness?
Will you offer Him your praise, gratitude, trust, and needs today and every day that comes after? He is faithful and just and will not leave your petition unanswered.