Luke 11:5

After Jesus gives them a structure for prayer, full of polite commands addressed to God he speaks to them several parables about prayer.  The first one I always stumble on.
Remember it?  Suppose someone has last minute guests who arrive very late at night.  But this man has nothing to serve them and they are hot and tired and hungry from traveling.  So he goes to a neighbor/friend and knocks on his door and asks for three loaves of bread.  The man inside says I am asleep and my family are all under the covers.  I cannot get up.  Yet the man who is in need knows he has the loaves.  He would rather get him mad than neglect his guests.  So he keeps knocking until the man gets up, gets him the food, so he can have peace and quiet for the rest of the night.
But I tend to think of God is different.  I wonder if he cares.  I do not think I can get him to do anything for me, even if it is a good thing.  I know I would have a problem trying to make a person give me what I need either.  I find it easier to just give up and sulk and think I am a victim here.  I ask the first time and if it is no then I am liable to give up.  I would do that with God or with a person.  It seems like begging.  I am too proud.  It is beneath me.  It is the same with God.  When I pray the first time and God does not seem to answer I give up.  I give up.  I get mad at God and say I am a victim.  God does not care.  God does not love me.
Jesus' point is the opposite of course.  He does not call it begging, he calls it persistence.  Jesus is telling us here "do not give up".  We don't know why God does not answer the first time.  But we are told to be persistent.
I find it comfortable to get mad, sulk, refuse to beg, refuse to take my real cares to God anymore.  I take that same manner to humans as well.  Right now I need some help and I have called people to ask for help.  When they do not call right back or help right away I tend to give up.  But I have to be persistent.  Right now things are moving in that arena.  But I still need to be persistent, not in an angry manner but in a confident manner.  The example Jesus gives is of a man being confidently persistent.  He knows his friend can help him.  And he need to keep asking until he does.  We know that about God too.  God is able to help us.  We just need to keep asking until he does.
 Jesus is saying be persistent in prayer.  It is good to be persistent.
But in the next parable he tells the disciples that God like to give good things to his disciples like a father does to his children.  We are like children to him.  Humans might not be as smart about giving what we need but God is perfect.
Jesus tells us to be persistent in prayer about our real needs, about good needs.  Despite what it looks like sometimes God want to answer prayer, to give us what we need, to give us good things.  By not being persistent we may very well miss out on God's gift to us.