The Great Demand for Importune Prayer

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From what I have discovered from my study, there seems to be two main aspects of importune prayer: it is urgent, and it has a dogged persistence.  Each of these has their own demands.  Urgency is demanded because of great needs.  Persistence is demanded because of the time factor—the fact that it takes time for prayer to be answered.

The Demand for Urgency

In every importune prayer there is a demand for urgency.  In the parables and stories we saw that there was always a great need, which required urgency.  The man who went to his friend for bread (Lu. 11:5-10) had a great need for bread.  The woman in the parable in Luke 18 had a great need for justice.  The Canaanite woman had a daughter who had an urgent need to be healed (Matt. 15:21-28).  And the blind man had a great need to see (Lu. 18:35-43).

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The Importune Prayers of Two Holy Men, Abraham and Moses

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In this blog post we will take a look at the importune prayers of two holy men—Abraham and Moses.

Abraham’s prayer, from Genesis 18:22-33

 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 23 And Abraham came near and said, “Wilt Thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt Thou indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 “Far be it from Thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from Thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” 26 So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city…

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Importunity in Prayer–From Two Biblical Stories

Prayer A to Z

Generally speaking importune prayer is persistent prayer and demanding prayer. Read these two biblical stories and then please check out my brief findings.

 

The healing of a Canaanite woman’s daughter—Matthew 15:21-28

  Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” 23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” 24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and…

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What is Importune Prayer? 5 Answers

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True prayer is prayer with importunity. The word “importunity” is a King James word used in Luke 11:8. It is translatednow in most other versionsas “persistence,”however I think importunity is really a fuller and betterword.Well, here infive points, is what importune prayer means.

1. Importune prayer is prayer made in faith, which is continual and persistent, with a goal of receiving what we desire. This first definition is proved well in Luke 11:5-10 and in Luke 18:1-8; however, I like the stories in Matthew 15:21-28 and Luke 18:35-42 better, because the aspect of faith is included. In both stories (if you will read them for yourself), the Canaanite woman and the blind man cry out persistently and continually for mercy; and in both cases Jesus commends them for their faith, and He heals the woman’s daughter and the blind man.

Here we see that these characters, by their continual persistence…

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Four Ways to Pray With Importunity

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Importune prayer is prayer that is aroused and energized by the Holy Spirit.  According to E. M. Bounds,

It [importune prayer] is not an impulse of energy, not a mere earnestness of soul; it is an inwrought force, a faculty implanted and aroused by the Holy Spirit.  Virtually, it is the intercession of the Spirit of God, in us; it is, moreover, “the effectual, fervent prayer, which availeth much.”  The Divine Spirit informing every element within us, with the energy of His own striving, is the essence of the importunity which urges our praying at the mercy-seat, to continue until the fire falls and the blessing descends.

 I think this is right on.  When we pray with importunity it is really the Holy Spirit praying in us.  He moves us and motivates us in our prayers.  Here are four ways the Holy Spirit motivates us to pray with importunity:

 

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Four Reasons Why Prayer Takes Time

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 It almost always takes time for prayers to be answered; therefore, prayers need to continue with persistence.  But why is that true?  Why can’t God answer prayers immediately?

Well, He can, and He sometimes does if He wants to perform a miracle.  However, God has chosen to put us, and all His creation, under the law of gradual growth.  Just as the grass, the flowers, and the trees grow slowly and gradually, animals and people also grow slowly and gradually.  Our prayers should be that that process would continue as it was designed, hence, that God would give us the proper sunshine and rain that we need in order to grow and develop properly.  Furthermore, let us pray that He would send His messengers to pull the evil weeds out that hinder our growth.

Now I am not saying that we can’t pray for a miracle, or that God can’t…

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Persistent Prayer: Demonstrated In the Parable of the Persistent Widow – Luke 18:1-8

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Luke 18:1-8

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” 6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son…

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Importunity in Prayer Demonstrated In the Parable of the Importunate Friend – from Luke 11:5-10

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The simplest definition of importunity is persistent and urgent asking.  Importune prayer then is persistent and urgent; it is prayer that pleads with God and asks Him repeatedly for the things we need.           

This kind of praying may seem selfish and perhaps childish, but it really isn’t because it is prayer in the will of God and is usually for others instead of self.  In fact, the source of this kind of prayer is right from the heart of God.  It is how the Holy Spirit pleads and prays for us (Rom. 8:26).  It is how God persistently and urgently seeks us out, speaks to us, and constantly seeks to help us and love us (Jer. 31:3, Jn. 6:44).  Thus, when I pray with importunity, I pray for myself and for others the same way and with the same heart as the Holy Spirit does.  I follow after His prayers. …

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Three Reasons Why We Should Pray With Earnestness?

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We could probably come up with several reasons to pray with earnestness.  Here are three that stand out to me.

First of all, we should pray with earnestness because of our great need for God.  Truth has gone out the window, sin is rampant, and the world is lost.  Where once swearing and dirty talk was forbidden on TV and radio, now it is common place and even applauded.  Where once adultery, immorality and divorce were shameful, now it is accepted as the norm, even among those who say they are Christians.  Today pornography is everywhere; you can’t go anywhere or do anything without seeing it.  Yes, we (all people) have a great need for God and for moral purity.  For this reason, prayer is needed—earnest prayer is needed!

Secondly, we should pray with earnestness because it is the way Jesus prayed and the way He would want…

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Pretending to Pray with Earnestness

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When I was young, I vividly remember sitting in church during prayer time, looking around, seeing how people were praying. I remember especially my mother, how she seemed to be very sincere, and even at times crying. I think she was the one who demonstrated to me what earnest prayer was. But I also think that many go through life just faking it, pretending to pray. Why? Because they don’t have a relationship with God. They either aren’t a real Christian, or they just haven’t developed a relationship with Him.

The following is a study I did a long time ago on what Earnestness in prayer isNOT.

 Earnestness in prayer is not prayer that is without sincerity, seriousness, and intensity; hence, it is not prayer that is phony, flippant, and indifferent.  Earnest prayer is not prayer that does not recognize prayer needs or the…

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