February 28, 2025

Two Common Misperceptions Regarding Prayer

Some common misperceptions regarding prayer hinder many believers’ intercession. One of them is that we must “wrestle” with God until He yields and gives us what we desire. The verses used to teach this are from Genesis 32:22-32, where Jacob wrestled all night with the angel of the Lord. Many a dynamic message has been preached, using the words of Jacob as an example of how we should pray: “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (verse 26). 

However, Jacob’s wrestling with God is not presented as an example of how to pray. In this encounter, God and Jacob were after different things, which is why it lasted through the night. Jacob wanted protection from Esau; God desired a nature change in Jacob. Not understanding this makes the angel’s question to Jacob seem silly. “What is your name?” (Verse 27). Doesn’t it seem strange that in the midst of this “wrestling match” Jacob and his opponent began having a nice little conversation, trying to get acquainted?

That isn’t what was actually occurring, of course; the angel knew Jacob’s name! God wanted and needed Jacob to acknowledge the truth about his nature, which was described by the meaning of his name. The Amplified Translation makes this very clear: “[The Man] asked him, What is your name? And [in shock of realization, whispering) he said, Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]!” (Genesis 32:27).

The revelation of his sinful nature and subsequent confession were what the Lord needed from Jacob. Grace followed immediately, producing a nature change in Jacob; his name was then also changed to Israel. Jacob’s “prevailing” (verse 28) was NOT an overcoming of God’s reluctance, nor was it the securing of protection from Esau. God had already promised him that he would bring him home safely (Genesis 28:15). It was prevailing over his conniving nature and becoming the “Israel” God needed him to be. Our Jacob nature wrestles with God; our Israel nature partners with Him.

Importunity

Another misconception regarding prayer is that we can manipulate, persuade, or “talk God into” moving on our behalf. Most would not admit to this underlying belief, but their practice of prayer and their theology demonstrate its existence. This theology is based on what is commonly referred to as “the prayer of importunity” from Luke 11:5-13. In this passage, a man received an unexpected guest at midnight but had no food with which to prepare him a meal, a very important custom of that day. So, he knocked on the door of a friend, awakened him, and asked for some bread to give the visitor. The response of the awakened friend, in the King James (and other) versions of Scripture, was: “I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth” (Luke 11:8).

With this translation of Christ’s words, God is presented as a “friend” who doesn’t really want to be bothered by our requests, but because we annoy Him with our persistence, He finally yields and gives us what we want. Are we to actually believe God answers our prayers to keep us from annoying Him?! Or that our persistence is to overcome His reluctance?

The answer is an emphatic, “NO!” We are not instructed to persist against God, and He is not annoyed by our approach to His throne of grace. 

The problem comes from the use of the word “importunity” to translate the Greek word anaideia used in Luke 11:8. This Greek word actually means “shamelessness”(1) or “bold unashamedness.”(2) Aidos, the root word, means “modesty or shame”(3) and is translated as such in 1 Timothy 2:9. Here in Luke 11, the word is in its negative form, making it “without modesty or shame.” Here is a more literal translation of Luke 11:5-8 from the Disciples Literal New Testament:

“And He said to them, ‘Which of you will have a friend, and will go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves-of-bread,  because my friend came to me from a journey and I do not have what I will set-before him”;  and that one, having responded from inside says “Do not be causing me troubles. The door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed. I am not able, having arisen, to give it to you”? I say to you: even though he will not, having arisen, give to him because of being his friend, yet because of his shamelessness he will, having been raised, give to him as much as he needs.’” 

Darby’s New Testament, another very literal translation, uses the same phrase: “because of his shamelessness.” 

The Bible Hub confirms this, stating the following regarding this word and passage: 

“In the context of the New Testament, [anaideia] often conveys a sense of tenacity or audacity in approaching God, particularly in prayer. This word suggests a kind of boldness that is not hindered by social conventions or fear of impropriety. 

“Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Greek culture, the concept of “aidōs” (shame or modesty) was highly valued as a social virtue. It was considered important to maintain one’s honor and reputation by adhering to societal norms. The prefix “an” negates this concept, indicating a behavior that goes against these norms. In the context of the New Testament, this term is used positively to describe a kind of spiritual boldness that is encouraged in one’s relationship with God.”(4)

The point of Christ’s illustration is the same as that of Hebrews 4:16: we are to approach God with bold confidence, knowing He is our Friend and Father, and desires to give us grace and mercy. We are to ask “according to His will” (1 John 5:14), not try and “wrestle” from Him something He might not want to give. We are partners with God, laborers together with Him (2 Corinthians 6:1), not at war with Him! We storm the gates of hell (Isaiah 28:6; Matthew 16:18), not the gates of heaven. Yes, persistence in prayer is necessary, but not to overcome God’s reluctance. This is vital to know and remember.

Pray with me:

Father, Your Word tells us that through faith and patience, we inherit Your promises (Hebrews 6:12). Perseverance is absolutely needed in our prayer efforts, but this is not to talk You into doing things for us. We wrestle against principalities and powers, rulers of darkness, and wicked spirits - not with You (Ephesians 6:12). We are Your family and friends, empowered by Holy Spirit to partner with You. 

We have persisted in our partnering prayers and decrees to see America revived and transformed. We have done so to release the worldwide revival on the horizon. We will not falter, will not yield to hope-deferred or weariness of heart, and will not lose faith. We are channels of Your will into the earth, the pipeline through which the oil of Your Spirit flows, conduits of Your power. We will not allow the flow to stop. We command it forth again today, declaring “Kingdom and will of God, come forth! Manifest in the Earth.”

Will of God: manifest in our nation’s government. Manifest in our homes and schools. Manifest in our children, bringing millions of them into Your family in this hour. Manifest in our bodies, bringing healing. Manifest in our minds and emotions, breaking confusion and deception off of millions. 

Manifest in the nations of the earth bringing change and worldwide revival. Manifest in the Middle East against the prince of Persia and other principalities. Manifest against the veil blinding the eyes of billions of people; open their eyes to the light of the gospel. 

All of this, we pray and decree in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whose we are and whom we serve.  

Our decree: 

We decree that God is for us, not against us. He is our Friend and Father, and we are always welcome at His throne.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

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1. Spiros Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible–New American Standard (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1984; revised edition, 1990), p. 1797.

2. Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary (Iowa Falls, IA: Word Bible Publishers, 1992), p. 1173.

3. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 4122.

4. https://biblehub.com/greek/335.htm