“You have not, because you ask not.” James 4:2 (NKJV) God’s promises often require persistence in prayer. In Luke 18, Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow. She repeatedly asked a judge for justice, and eventually, her persistence wore him out. Her refusal to quit illustrates the spiritual principle that persistent prayer aligns us with God’s purposes, even when the response seems delayed. Abraham provides another example of persistent prayer. He interceded six times for Sodom and...