By Pastor Logan Simmons

Have you ever asked for something, just knowing you were going to get it—whatever it was? When I was a young boy, I had a fascination with the history of war. I loved war movies, I loved pretending to be a soldier, but my favorite pastime involved my toy soldiers. One Christmas, when I was about six years old, my dad dialed up the North Pole. I was so excited! I could not wait to tell the jolly, big, bearded man all that I wanted for Christmas.

The problem was, I don’t think Ole Saint Nick was quite ready for me. I began to inform him—very seriously—that I wanted about 20 Higgins boats (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel), all motorized. I wanted the toy soldiers to go with the boats. I wanted all the ranks to be correct, the clothing accurate, the weapons authentic, and everything else that went along with it. I was bursting with excitement and fully expected that on Christmas morning, those Higgins boats would be under the tree. Sadly, to my dismay, they were not. Though I may have been naïve to expect such a grand request as a six-year-old, I’ve come to learn that there is no such thing as too grand of a request for God. One of my favorite books in the Bible when it comes to prayer is the book of Psalms. In Psalm 126, the writer pens a prayer of expectation—declaring that God has, He can, and He will bring His people back from captivity. The psalm ends with these beautiful verses: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” — Psalm 126:5–6

Here, the writer likens the situation to that of a farmer—a farmer who persists in sowing seed with a pure heart. It’s the picture of someone planting, not with uncertainty, but with complete expectation. All his hope is in the harvest. There are no reservations. He’s all in. And it’s that perseverance that pays off.

When the drought came, the farmer didn’t quit. When the bugs came, he didn’t give up. He pressed on, continuing to cast seed, expecting a harvest to come.

I believe many times we don’t receive what we need because we simply don’t ask God with a pure heart. We don’t ask with faith. And we don’t ask with persistence

Jesus told a parable of a man who had a need and went to his friend’s house late at night asking for help. The man’s need was met—not because of the friendship—but because of his importunity, or in other words, his persistence.

Jesus followed that story with a promise: “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” —Luke 11:9 Sometimes, we may feel our prayers aren’t getting past the ceiling, or that God is too busy for someone like us. But I want to remind you: as long as our hearts are pure, our faith is genuine, and we ask according to the will of God, He hears— and He answers—prayer.

A few Sundays ago, I shared this same story of my childhood request for those Higgins boats while preaching a sermon. Not long after, a congregant surprised me with a toy Higgins boat—complete with toy soldiers. I was genuinely touched. That simple gesture reminded me that while God doesn’t always answer in the way we expect, He often answers in ways that affirm His love and care through others. “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” —Ephesians 3:20