I’d appreciate your insight into which of two approaches to take when praying for God’s help in an area of need such as a job, spouse, healing, or housing. Luke 18: 1-8 seems to recommend repeatedly requesting something, just as the widow’s pestering of the judge caused him to relent and grant her request. And yet God already knows what we need. So in that case does it show more faith to ask God once for something and then leave it in His hands, trusting that if it’s His will He’ll grant our request? We know that without faith it’s impossible to please God. Which approach pleases our heavenly Father more, repeatedly praying for the same thing, or praying once and trusting He’ll answer?
Luke 18:1 tells us Jesus gave His disciples this parable to encourage them to always pray and not give up. I think His point in the parable was that if even a corrupt judge will eventually respond to persistence, how much more will the Lord do so. His point that persistence is a demonstration of faith, not the lack thereof, was made in his final comment, “However, when the Son of Man comes will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)