Recently, I listened to myself praying. I was stopped in my tracks when I really gave weight to the words I was saying and the attitude that I was projecting. I was actually begging God, pestering Him to provide me with an answer to something I desperately wanted from Him.

“Importunity” in prayer means “persistent and urgent requests, demands, or solicitations, often to the point of being troublesome or annoying.” It implies tireless pleading for something, resulting in shameless persistence.

Does God really need to be begged and pleaded with to answer my prayer? I was like a spoiled child, following after my daddy, constantly whining and crying, “Can I please, can I, can I, please can I, can I, when can I, please, please?” What parent wants to hear this? And the picture I had of myself wasn’t pretty.

As I thought about my relentless harassment, I remembered a well-known Bible teacher saying that “your faith does not move God. He’s not the one who is stuck.” Nor does God respond to whining, crying, tantrums, or “gimme” attitudes. No, He has already done everything and established the supply by His grace.

We need to learn to back off from importunity and approach our Heavenly Father with reverence, thanksgiving, and praise for what He has already done for us. We can make our petition, and close by thanking Him and releasing our faith that we have received what He has already provided. Our petition should be a tiny percentage of our prayer, with the majority of the prayer focusing on fellowship with our loving and wonderful Father.