Scripture teaches us to persist in prayer, but should we be repetitive? If God hears our prayers the first time, why should we keep coming back to the throne of grace with the same petition?

Jesus calls us to be persistently repetitive in our prayers.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus commands that we should ask, seek, and knock in our prayers:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7)

In other words, he is calling us to be persistent in our prayers to our Father in heaven. Using three words (“ask,” “seek,” and “knock”), Jesus calls us to be persistently repetitive, to continue in prayer bringing to our heavenly Father our needs, our desires, and our gratitude according to his will. Sometimes though, others may think being repetitive is unnecessary—doesn’t God hear the first time? Yes, of course, he does!

Pastor and author Terry L. Johnson makes the important observation that persistent repetition is a sign of sincerity in the heart of a Christian:

We demonstrate sincerity by going to God in prayer and persisting there. The depth and integrity of our desire is proven by returning to Him again and again, persistently asking and requesting that He might hear and respond. (When Grace Comes Alive, p. 206)

When our prayers are sincere, the Holy Spirit leads us to persistence, even to a sense of urgency—a crying out to the Lord with all our needs and godly desires.

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