American pastor Theodore Cuyler opens this text by describing a Bible story in which Jesus answered a woman's prayer because of her persistent pleas for help. Cuyler argues that the lesson from this story is that blessings come to those who consistently ask for them. He writes persuasively, saying, "if we are tamely content to be without spiritual blessings, and neither labor nor pray persistently for such blessings, we deserve to suffer." "Prevailing Prayer" was published in The New York Observer so that readers of all backgrounds might apply this powerful message to their prayer lives.