Luke 18:1

Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

People often ask, "How long should I pray? Shouldn't I come to the place where I stop praying and leave the matter in God's hands?" The only answer is this:Pray until what you pray for has been accomplished or until you have complete assurance in your heart that it will be. Only when one of these two conditions has been met is it safe to stop persisting in prayer, for prayer not only is calling upon God but is also a battle with Satan. And because God uses our intercession as a mighty weapon of victory in the conflict, He alone must decide when it is safe to cease from petitioning. Therefore we dare not stop praying until either the answer itself has come or we receive assurance it will come.

In the first instance, we stop because we actually see the answer. In the second, we stop because we believe, and faith in our hearts is as trustworthy as the sight of our eyes, for it is 'faith from God" (Ephesians 6>23) and the 'faith of God" (Romans 3:3) that we have within us.

As we live a life of prayer, we will more and more come to experience and recognise this God-given assurance. We will know when to quietly rest in it or when to continue praying until we receive His answer. (Extract from Streams in the Desert)