“We need to have perseverance in our petitions before God.” (Orthodox Study Bible, John 2:3-5)
“When bad thoughts surround us like a swarm of flies, we shouldn't become discouraged, but persevere in prayer and hold on.” (Elder Sergei of Vanves)
“He that endureth to the end shall be saved (Matt. 10:22). Do we have anything to endure? In this no one is lacking. Everyone’s arena of endurance is vast, and therefore our salvation is at hand. Endure everything to the end and you will be saved. However, you must endure skillfully—otherwise, you may not gain anything by your endurance.” (St. Theophan the Recluse)
“Bob Dylan penned the lyrics ‘the only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keepin’ on.’ Sometimes that is what the life of faith in God is like. We have no answers and no solutions that we can see, but simply know that Christ instructs us to persist and persevere in prayer. Even though it may not seem like it, our heavenly Father is aware and guiding us to the outcome we need.” (Sacramental Living Blog)
“…there is a promise to us that salvation will be ours if we endure to the end, and endurance is based on exercise, focus, daily practice, and confidence.” (Father Barnabas Powell)
“We may be tempted to slow down for many reasons: People aren’t responding; we feel physically or emotionally drained; the workers are uncooperative; the work is distasteful, too difficult, or not worth the effort. God’s promises about the future should encourage us now. He knows what the results of our labors will be, and thus He can give us a perspective that will help us continue in our work for Him.” (Life Application Study Bible, Zechariah 8:13-15)
“A person who exercises self-control will not easily succumb to discouragement or the temptation to quit. Viewing all circumstances as coming from the hand of a loving Father who is in control of all things is the secret of perseverance.” (Foundation Study Bible, 2 Peter 1:4)
“Patient endurance is...the evidence that you are really committed to Jesus...Because Christ lives in us, we can have that kind of endurance.” (Life Application Study Bible, Hebrews 10:36)
“God often places someone at a camp, a club, or a church as a certain intersection to build you up: Someone to say something that you’ll never forget or to encourage you at a moment of need." (Gregg Matte)
“Watch a baby trying to learn to walk. It doesn’t worry about what might happen. It doesn’t worry about what people will think. It doesn’t worry about how it will look to others as it struggles with the task. It doesn’t give up and just lie there. It gets up and falls down and gets up and falls down and gets up again, patiently, doggedly, until the job is done.” (Suzette Haden Elgin)
“One of the hardest-to-swallow, most countercultural, counterintuitive implications of the Gospel is that bearing up under a difficult burden with patient perseverance is a good thing. The Gospel actually advocates this kind of endurance as a daily"dying” for and with Jesus.” (Wesley Hill)
“To live a Christian life can truly be a Herculean feat, considering the messages that bombard us in our contemporary society! But we must persevere…By striving to be true followers of Jesus, always choosing right over wrong and helping those in need of our help, we will be fighting the good fight.” (Marianne C. Sailus)
"To reach the joy and blessing of eternal life in Christ, we first experience the sadness of the passing world, along with the afflictions we must face here...To the watching world, the perseverance of the faithful during affliction appears foolish and even contemptible...faith under trial is precious indeed, bearing more glory and honor as it continues to stand under trial." (Orthodox Study Bible, 1 Peter 1:6-7)
“We should be confident that God will hear us, but we should also be extremely patient with God’s timing. We should be willing to pray with temerity and perseverance, waiting months or years for God to answer some things."The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness” (2 Peter 3:9) means, quite simply, that our time frames are not in touch with ultimate reality. Our perspective on timing compared with God’s is analogous to a twoyear-old’s with an adult’s. God has good reasons for making us wait a long time to see some prayers answered.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)
“The fruits of the earth are not brought to perfection immediately, but by time, rain and care; similarly, the fruits of men ripen through ascetic practice, study, time, perseverance, self-control and patience." (St. Anthony the Great”)
“If God seems far away, persist in your search for him. God rewards those who sincerely look for Him (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus promised,"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7)” (Life Application Study Bible, Psalms 105:4-5)
“God hears persistent, selfless prayers. If we do not feel the faith to offer such prayers, let us too cry out,"Lord, I believe – help my unbelief!” If when drawing near to God we feel our unrighteousness, let us confess our failings and weaknesses, laying them down at the feet of Jesus and again crying out, ‘Lord, help us!’…"God responds when we persistently ask for things that are good." (Fr. Calinic Berger, Orthodox Study Bible, Luke 11:9-13)
“It is…important to be consistent in prayer and let persistence be a by-product of this consistency. Jesus always found time for prayer. All of our great spiritual teachers from the Apostles to the Holy Fathers found time for prayer. Monks live by a rule of prayer in which they pray throughout the day at certain times….We all should do our best to adopt a consistent prayer life so we can experience the love and grace of God in ever increasing measure.” (Sacramental Living)
“Persistence is not a means to earn salvation; it is the by-product of a truly devoted life.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 10:22)
“We all fail Christ. The Apostles did; the Saints did. But these persisted until the end. They stayed with the struggle. Maybe they had moments when they worried about appearances, about looking good - yes, even Saint Peter did that (Gal 2:11-13). However, the beauty of their lives in Christ was seen in the ability to weep and correct their behavior when they were wrong.” (Dynamis 11/5/2012)