"So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."  

Acts 12:5 (NIV)

E.M. Bounds wrote, "Jesus taught that perseverance is the essential element of prayer. Men must be in earnest when they kneel at God's footstool. Too often we get faint-hearted and quit praying at the point where we ought to begin. We let go at the very point where we should hold on strongest. Our prayers are weak because they are not impassioned by an unfailing and resistless will." An earnest prayer will never be satisfied until it receives an answer from Heaven! It is a prayer that doesn't lose faith because an answer is delayed! An earnest prayer is not moved by what the world says or thinks, but only by what God's Word declares to be true! If you want to see mountain move with the power of God in your life, pray earnestly!!

"So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?" Luke 18:7-8 (MSG)