IMPORTUNITY

“I say unto you, Though he will not rise
and give him because he is his friend,
yet because of his importunity he will arise
and give him as many as he needeth.”
Luke 11:8
American Standard Version

The word importunity in other versions is translated ‘shameless persistence.’ In this text, Jesus, had been instructing his disciples about prayer. Jesus then tells the story of a man who goes to a friend’s house at midnight to borrow food to feed unexpected guests. The friend answers, but will not get up to give him the bread. The man is persistent and will not take “No” for an answer so he continues to call out shamelessly to his friend. Jesus says although the man will not get up to give him bread on the basis of their friendship alone, he will give him the bread because of his persistence.
We learn that an important element of prayer is persistence, or importunity. Importunity also carries with it the element of urgency and necessity. E.M. Bounds says of importunate prayer, “It is the ability to hold on, press on, and wait. Restless desire, restful patience, and strength of grasp are all embraced in it. It is not an incident, or a performance, but a passion of soul. It is not a want, half-needed, but a sheer necessity.” This type prayer goes beyond passing whims and glib requests. Importunate prayer has tenacity and perseverance interlaced with shamelessness that will never cease until the petition is answered.
In this hour, every believer must be fully engaged in importunate prayer, not for corruptible things but for things eternal. This prayer is not to twist God’s arm or force Him to give us our whims and wishes but rather to see His kingdom come in the earth even as it is in heaven. We cannot ‘keep silent and must give him no rest, till he establish and make his people a praise in the earth’ (Isaiah 62:6-7). We must continue to pray until all of His pleasure is fulfilled in the earth. The lesson found here in Luke 11:5-8 and its companion parable in Luke 18:1-8, teaches us that “If a bad man (or an indifferent friend will yield to the mere force of an importunity, which he hates, how much more will a righteous God be prevailed upon by the powerful prayer which he loves.”
Don’t faint in prayer! Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. Cry out to him for the salvation of your loved ones, for manifested healing in your body, for deliverance from adversity. Importunity will not yield to weariness, impatience, discouragement, or fear. Whatever the situation may be, go to God in importunate prayer and never give up or lose heart until you see God’s perfect will manifested!