It’s been many years now that I’ve prayed for specific people and certain situations. For the most part, I hang in there, keeping at it. I don’t like giving up. Walking away when I could still make a difference. And prayer does just that. Speaking with Jesus, coupled with faith, even an itsy-bitsy amount, can move mountains, as our Lord says (Matthew 17: 20).

There’s something about giving in that rubs me the wrong way. I think this stems from my mother, who was determined and relentless in her efforts to help me walk again after polio made it a significant challenge. For five years, she provided me with physical therapy in the small bathroom of our home. She never gave up, and as a result, most people were unaware that I had suffered from crippling polio. Eventually, I learned to walk perfectly well, and I still do, although one leg is noticeably thinner than the other due to atrophy over the years.

Her determination to see her two-year-old baby boy restored may be in my DNA, as we say today. Whatever, I hate giving up or giving in. But often I wonder if I’m boring the Lord with the same old, same old prayers day after day, night after night, to the point of His distraction. I don’t think I’m trying to wear Him down. Or put His back up against the wall, telling Him I’ll not let go, not stop bending His ear, until He cries ‘uncle’ and answers my prayers with a resounding ‘YES’! Cave in or else? Hardly.

But how do I know that the Lord doesn’t feel that way? Crack open your Bible to Isaiah 62, which speaks of Jerusalem and its watchmen, who are in place, on high alert, in this ancient, always troubled city. Here are the verses I’m looking at–‘On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth’ (Isaiah 62: 6-7).

I admit that my prayers are not primarily about Jerusalem, but the emphasis in these verses is on persistence. About coming to the Lord with whatever is on your mind and heart. And keep at it. At Him. Don’t let up. After all, Jesus told a similar story in Luke 18 about a wronged widow who wears down a reluctant judge until he gives in and helps her. Jesus says that’s how we’re to pray. Constant. Unflappable. Immovable.

In other words, don’t let up. Keep praying. But remember who you’re talking with. On the other line, it’s God. The Lord Almighty. Not a wicked, nasty, godless, careless judge but your good God, our loving Lord. We have His ear. And heart.

I want to clarify that it’s not the act of prayer itself that I believe in, but rather in God, who has the power and the will to hear and answer my prayers. He is the one who truly matters—the one I believe in and trust. It’s not about uttering magical phrases, performing incantations to unknown deities, or relying on luck. My faith is in the God of the Bible: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is the Lord of All.

Encouraged by God’s Word, we should “…give Him no rest…” Is that good enough for you? Time to pray? Don’t let up. Ever.

Lord, thank you for always being there for me. In Jesus’ name and for His sake. Amen.