How to Persist in Prayer: 3 Powerful Tips When Heaven Seems Silent

Have you ever prayed and prayed…and nothing? How to persist in prayer when you don’t get answers is not an easy task.

If that’s where you are right now, this article is for you.

Because here’s the truth: knowing how to pray is only half the battle. The other half is learning how to persist in prayer until the answer arrives.

Jesus knew this would be a struggle for His followers. That’s why He told them a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1).

In our previous articles, we’ve covered why your prayers feel unanswered, 3 biblical truths about why God answers, and how to pray in God’s will. Now it’s time to tackle the question every believer eventually faces:

What do you do when the answer doesn’t come?

Let’s look at three powerful ways to persist in prayer and keep your faith strong while you wait.

1. Be Diligent. Don’t Give Up

“Never stop praying.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)

The Apostle Paul’s instruction is simple: do not quit. Keep praying.

But perhaps no story illustrates this better than Elijah’s.

For three years, there was no rain in Israel. God had declared a drought through Elijah, and the land had suffered. Then, in the third year, God sent Elijah to restore rain.

Yet the rain did not fall immediately after Elijah started praying.

“And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, ‘Go up now, look toward the sea.’ So he went up and looked, and said, ‘There is nothing.’ And seven times he said, ‘Go again.’ Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, ‘There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!'” — 1 Kings 18:42-44 (NKJV)

Notice something important: just a few verses earlier, on that same day, in that same place, Elijah had performed what some consider his greatest miracle ever. He had prayed, and Jehovah instantly sent fire to consume the sacrifice. So God was present. God was listening.

Yet when Elijah prayed for rain, he sent his servant seven times before he saw even a small cloud.

Elijah did not give up. He could have chosen to get frustrated; after all, it was God who asked him to pray for rain. But rather than lose heart, he persisted in prayer until God did what He had promised.

There will be times when you get answers immediately. Other times, you will have to wait.

Hannah had Samuel within a year of her prayer. Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac—even though it was God who promised him.

A delay does not mean God will not do it. Some answers take time because certain things need to be put in place. When Elijah prayed, the clouds that brought rain did not magically appear. They were “rising out of the sea.” It took time for the clouds to get to Israel. But when they arrived, they brought rain.

This is how to persist in prayer: by continuing to ask, even when you don’t see anything yet.

Jesus taught this same lesson using the story of a persistent widow:

“In a certain town, there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ For some time, he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!'” — Luke 18:2-5 (NIV)

Jesus used this parable to teach His disciples “that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).

If an unjust judge can be worn down by persistence, how much more will your loving Father respond to His children who cry out to Him day and night?

So do not lose heart. Keep praying. This is how to persist in prayer when everything in you wants to quit.

2. Keep Believing. Even When Your Faith Feels Small

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” — Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

The level of your belief in God often determines the results you get when you pray.

When Lazarus died, Martha met Jesus with these words:

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” — John 11:21-22 (NKJV)

She was able to say this because she believed He was the Messiah. Her belief gave her confidence, even in the face of death.

In contrast, as anointed as Jesus was, He could barely do any miracles in His hometown because they did not believe.

“He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.” — Mark 6:5-6 (NIV)

Think about that. The same Jesus who raised Lazarus, healed the centurion’s servant, and delivered the demon-possessed could barely do any miracles in Nazareth because they did not believe. Unbelief denied them the answers they could have received.

Naaman almost lost his healing because he did not believe that dipping in the Jordan could cleanse his leprosy (2 Kings 5).

Ten of the twelve spies Moses sent saw giants instead of God’s promise. Their unbelief cost an entire generation forty years in the wilderness (Numbers 13-14).

Thankfully, God is willing to help you believe. You only need to ask.

In Mark 9, a father brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus. He said: “If You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

Jesus replied: “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Immediately, the father cried out:

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” — Mark 9:22-24 (NKJV)

Be like that father. When your faith feels small, when doubt creeps in, when the waiting stretches long, ask God to help your unbelief. He will not turn you away.

This is how to persist in prayer: by holding onto faith, even when you can’t see the answer yet.

3. Remember You Are His Child

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him.” — Psalm 91:14-15 (NKJV)

In the Old Testament, access to God was limited. You needed to go through a prophet or priest to hear from Him.

• When Saul’s father’s donkeys went missing, Saul sought out the prophet Samuel to find them (1 Samuel 9).
• In 1 Kings 22, when the king of Israel asked the king of Judah to join him in battle, the king of Judah asked him if there was any prophet of God they could consult.

In those days, when there was no prophet available, they did not hear from God. In fact, in 1 Samuel 3:1, just before Samuel’s ministry started, “the word of God was scarce in those days.”

But unlike in the Old Testament, where access to Jehovah was through priests and prophets, God’s children now have direct access to Him through Jesus Christ.

The moment Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), signifying the beginning of a new covenant with God through Jesus Christ.

“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.” — Matthew 27:51 (NKJV)

In John 14, knowing His death was near, Jesus prepared His disciples:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” — John 14:6 (NKJV)

Then He made an astonishing promise:

“Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” — John 14:13-14 (NKJV)

This is not a formula. It is a relationship.

Because you are His child, you have access. Because you are His child, He hears you. Because you are His child, He answers.

When you know who you are, you know how to persist in prayer because you know your Father is listening.

The Most Important Prayer You Will Ever Pray

While there are cases where Jehovah answers the requests of people who do not yet serve Him, the privilege of direct access, the confidence that He hears and answers as a Father, is reserved for His children.

If you are not yet His child, please pause and take a moment to pray the prayer below. This is the most important prayer in this series. It determines everything that follows.

Lord Jesus, thank You for paying the price for my sins. I believe You died on the cross and rose again from the dead to reconcile me back to the Father. Lord Jesus, come into my life right now and cleanse me from my sins. I receive Your forgiveness and ask that You take Your rightful place in my life as my Savior and Lord. Give me a new heart and help me live my life for You from this day forward. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, welcome. You are now part of the family. The Father is yours. And He is listening.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

You now have the complete foundation for a successful prayer life:

• What prayer is — the foundation
• Why God answers — the reasons
• How to pray in His will — the methods
• How to persist in prayer — the perseverance

Now you know how to persist in prayer, even when heaven seems silent.

Knowing this is great, but you also need to know how God answers prayers to ensure you do not miss the answers to your prayers.

So, in the next article we are going to look at how God answers prayers.

➡️ Read Next: How God Answers Prayer: 3 Ways He Responds

But here’s the thing: learning how to persist in prayer is essential, but having a complete prayer guide makes all the difference. You don’t have to wait for the next article to start praying with confidence. Everything you’ve learned in this series is exactly what I unpack in my book, Praying Right, from the foundation of prayer to a complete scriptural prayer guide for every situation you face.

Stop hoping your prayers work. Start knowing they do.

Get your copy of Praying Right here and start praying with confidence today.