Teach Us To Pray: Persistence, Power, and Breakthrough

Luke 11 opens with Jesus praying in a certain place, and the disciples know they are looking at something different. Jesus does not wait for trouble to pray His best prayers. Jesus prays daily, and His life shows that kingdom authority is carried by people who know how to meet the Father before the crisis starts.

Jesus answers “Lord, teach us to pray” by first telling them what to say. The prayer starts with the Father, not with a list. “Our Father, which art in heaven” lifts the eyes above earth’s perspective, and “hallowed be thy name” puts worship before asking. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done” does not ask heaven to act like earth. That prayer asks God to make earth act like heaven.

Daily bread keeps the relationship fresh. God gives day by day bread because stale bread makes stale relationship. The Father wants His people back tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. Forgiveness also stands at the door of prayer. The text makes the believer say that everybody who is indebted is being released, even the people who really did wrong and even the people who only seemed wrong because emotions got loud.

Jesus then moves from what to say to how to pray. The friend at midnight is not refused because there is no relationship. He is refused until importunity shows up. That word is not just opportunity, and it is not just persistence. It is shamelessness. It is the kind of asking that refuses to be embarrassed, refuses to back up, and refuses to believe that no is the final word when the Father has what is needed.

Prayer, then, is not begging people for what only God can give. “Ask, seek, knock” is about asking the Father, and the Father knows how to give good gifts, especially the Holy Ghost, the Helper. God is not trying to keep breakthrough away. God is drawing His people into more time with Him, because the more time spent with Him, the more of Him gets on them.

Daniel’s twenty one days and Bartimaeus crying louder both show the same thing. The answer may be released before it manifests, and the crowd may say be quiet, but importunity keeps crying until Jesus stands still. Prayer in a certain place, in agreement, becomes the kind of prayer that changes bloodlines, moves mountains, destroys sickness, and refuses to accept what God gave authority to defeat.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Shameless prayer refuses to quit Importunity is not religious noise or nervous repetition. It is confidence that God has what is needed and that demonic resistance does not get the last word. The believer does not keep asking because God is stingy, but because the answer must break through what is trying to stop it. [86:29]
• 2. Daily bread keeps relationship fresh Daily bread is not just provision, it is God protecting intimacy from going stale. The Father gives enough for today so the believer returns tomorrow with trust instead of independence. A prayer life built on daily bread learns dependence without panic and expectation without entitlement. [75:57]
• 3. Ask the Father, not people “Ask and it shall be given” is not a technique for pressuring people. Jesus is teaching prayer, so the request belongs first before the Father, who can move people without making them the source. The believer loses peace when human hands become the target instead of God’s throne. [96:47]
• 4. Agreement breaks stubborn resistance Some things are bigger than private strength, and the church gathers in a certain place to take hold together. Agreement is not casual sympathy, it is joined faith pressing into the unseen until the seen has to change. The prayer that keeps standing can confront what has defied a life for years. [113:17]
• 5. Bartimaeus knew who to call Bartimaeus did not waste his cry on the crowd that told him to be quiet. His shameless faith recognized the moment of visitation and got louder when resistance increased. Faith often looks undignified when the need is real and Jesus is near. [106:08]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [29:26] - Worship and Prayer Atmosphere
• [65:06] - Luke 11 and Teach Us to Pray
• [68:25] - Jesus Prayed Daily, Not Just in Trouble
• [70:59] - What to Say Before How to Pray
• [73:07] - Kingdom Come and Daily Bread
• [76:18] - Forgiveness Before Asking
• [79:06] - The Friend at Midnight
• [85:31] - Importunity Means Shamelessness
• [89:25] - Pray Like No Is Not an Option
• [95:02] - Ask, Seek, Knock the Father
• [99:25] - Daniel, Warfare, and Breakthrough
• [104:47] - Bartimaeus Cried the More
• [112:38] - A Certain Place for Prayer
• [115:32] - Testimony of Prayer and Healing
• [121:07] - Prayer Requests and Agreement
• [125:16] - Salvation, Restoration, and Holy Ghost Appeal

Bible Reading

Luke 11:1-13
“Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation."’ And he said to them, ‘Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him"; and he will answer from within, "Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything"? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’” [01:05:06] [01:06:13] [01:07:02] [01:19:28] [01:25:31] [01:35:22]

Mark 10:46-52
“And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.’ And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ And the blind man said to him, ‘Rabbi, let me recover my sight.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.” [01:44:47]

Daniel 10:12-13
“Then he said to me, ‘Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,’” [01:40:03]

Matthew 6:9-13
“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’” [01:07:02]

Observation questions

1. In Luke 11, what are the first things Jesus tells His disciples to say in prayer before He gets to daily bread, forgiveness, or any personal need? [01:10:59]
2. In the prayer Jesus gives, what repeated “daily” idea shows up, and what does that reveal about how often God wants His people to come to Him? [01:16:18]
3. In the story of the friend at midnight, what details show that the man kept asking even after being refused? [01:25:31]
4. In the story of Bartimaeus, how did the crowd respond to his cry, and what did Bartimaeus do instead? [01:46:08]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus begins prayer with “Father” and “hallowed be your name” before any request is made. What does that suggest about how prayer should shape a believer’s heart before asking for help?
2. “Your kingdom come” and “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” points prayer in a certain direction. How does that change the way a person thinks about prayer when life feels out of order? [01:13:07]
3. The man in Luke 11 received what he needed because of importunity, described here as shamelessness. What is the difference between shameless faith and empty repetition? [01:26:29]
4. Daniel’s answer was heard from the first day, yet there was still a delay before manifestation. How does that help explain why some prayers require steady faith over time? [01:40:03]

Application questions

1. Jesus prayed in a certain place before the crisis came. What does a “certain place” of prayer look like in real life for you right now—an actual time, place, or habit that needs to become more consistent? [01:53:17]
2. Daily bread keeps relationship fresh. Where is the temptation in your life to live on old bread—old strength, old experiences with God, or yesterday’s prayer—and what would it look like to return to the Father day by day? [01:16:18]
3. Forgiveness stands at the door of prayer. Is there anyone you are still holding in your heart—someone who truly hurt you, or someone you may have judged through emotion? What would release look like for you this week? [01:17:51]
4. “Ask, seek, knock” is about asking the Father, not making people the source. Where have you been more focused on human help than on God’s throne, and how has that affected your peace? [01:36:47]
5. Shameless prayer refuses to quit. What situation in your life has tempted you to back off, get quiet, or assume “no” is final? What would it look like to pray again with holy boldness? [01:29:25]
6. Bartimaeus got louder when resistance increased. When pressure, delay, or other voices tell you to be quiet, what usually happens in your prayer life? Do you pull back, distract yourself, talk about the problem, or press in harder? [01:47:29]
7. Some battles are bigger than private strength and need agreement. Is there an area of your life where you need trusted believers to stand with you instead of trying to carry it alone? What makes that hard, and what might change if you asked for agreement? [01:53:45]