Luke 18:1 “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint”
Importunity takes its root from the Latin word importunitatem, which means “unsuitableness or incivility,” and comes from importunus, “unfit or troublesome.”
As improper as these words may seem when placed in the context of morality they surprisingly come strongly recommended in the art of prayer to obtain powerful blessings from God.
One of the best examples of an importunate or troublesome prayer was made by Jacob recorded in Genesis 32:26 when he had a life changing encounter with an Angel : “and He said, Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he(Jacob) said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
Another classic example is seen in Luke 18:2-8 where a troubled but stubborn widow harassed a judge with her request to the point of exasperation. The judge of course had no choice but to answer her and save himself from her daily hassles.
Why does God encourage importunate prayers we may ask ? Once we pass the test in James 4:3 , which warns against praying for things that inflame our lust, ego and selfishness we will begin to understand why God encourages importunity as an important Christian charter.
Some may take importunity as a sign of lack of faith, no! , actually Importuning in prayer is a demonstration of faith! It is God teaching us patience, humility and perseverance, crucial qualities necessary for building up our faith and relationship with God.
Most importantly importunity comes to play in spiritual combat with satanic forces whose sole goal is to thwart the promises of God for us if we get lazy and carefree.
We therefore engage in importunate prayers, beyond knowing God’s will but ensuring that the will of God become fulfilled. When they are not fulfilled it is not for lack of failure on God’s side but our inability to get hold of them in prayer!
Daniel (Daniel Chapter 10) understood certain promises of deliverance God made to Israel but he also realized that the appointed time was long overdue.
What did Daniel do? He went into an importunate prayer and fasting session which elicited a clash between answered prayers and satanic opposition and delay.
Daniel did not stop until he eventually received answers to his prayers even though until that time he was unaware of the spiritual conflict that attended to his intercession.
It is then no surprise that if God would make a man greatly useful in his Kingdom or to make him a recipient of supernatural blessings He would have to make him an importunate prayer warrior who will not take no for an answer until he is greatly blessed.
When we see prayer as a means of deepening our relationship with God more than as a means of obtaining answers from God we will understand the essence of importunity in prayer and the purpose for perseverance.
The fact that an earthly father delays a request doesn’t mean the child will quit asking nor severe his relationship with him. It would be a process of conversation, reminder, negotiations, pleading and understanding.
Are you willing to set aside distractions and make time to enter a season of importunate prayer seeing that the seasons are indeed pregnant with uncertainties ?
Read Daniel
