“Should we pray more than once about an important matter?”

April 2021 – Grace & Truth Magazine

QUESTION: I asked a brother whether we should pray for severely persecuted Christians as I had been asked to do. His response was, “Why? The prayer of the person who asked you is enough. Also, if you pray to God once about something you’re asking for, that’s enough – don’t pray for it again because that is not putting trust in God.” His argument is based on Mark 11:24, which says, “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (nkjv). I think we should pray many times asking God for the same thing. Am I wrong? Help!

ANSWER: The brother who advised you not to pray more than once for the same thing is misusing Mark 11:24 and giving you bad advice. It is not right to take one verse of the Bible out of its context to prove something that other Scriptures do not support.

The Lord has given us many instructions with regard to prayer. A very important one that helps with your question is found in Luke 18:1-8. The passage says:

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”

Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

The reason the Lord gave this parable is given us in verse 1: He wanted to teach His followers “that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” He pointed out that the judge finally gave in to the widow’s repeated pleas, and that God would certainly do likewise for His elect – a term used for believers – “who cry out day and night to Him” (v.7).

Another important principle in this connection is in Luke 11:8, which says, “because of his persistence he will give him as many as he needs.” The next verse continues by saying, “Ask, and it will be given to you” (v.9).

In 2 Corinthians 12:1-9 we read about how the apostle Paul prayed three times that his thorn in the flesh might be removed. It was given to him to keep him from being exalted by the experience he had of having been caught up into Paradise and hearing things that could not be expressed. God did not rebuke Paul for these prayers, but He told the apostle that His grace was sufficient for him.

The best example of all is our Lord Jesus. During the night before He was crucified, shortly before He was taken prisoner and wickedly and unjustly treated, Jesus led His disciples to the garden of Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives outside of Jerusalem. Each Gospel tells us a part of what happened there, very late that night.

Looking at Matthew 26:36-56 we see that Jesus went to this garden, leaving most of the disciples near the entrance (v.36). He took Peter, James and John with Him into the garden and asked them to watch with Him (vv.37-38). Then in verse 39 He went “a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed.” In verse 42 He went “a second time” and prayed again. A little later He went once more and prayed the same thing for “the third time,” as recorded in verse 44. His disciples had not been able to stay awake and watch with Him. The Lord prayed in great agony, yet only the basic substance of His prayers is given us. He spent a good while praying, and He is our perfect Example in every way!

With Him as our Example as well as our Teacher we cannot go wrong. May we follow Him and pray earnestly and diligently to our prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God!

Answered by Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.