Bible Dictionary
IMPORTUNITY
Importunity means persistent and shameless insistence in asking. Jesus used this idea in the parable of the friend at midnight to encourage earnest, persevering prayer.
Biblical Usage
In Luke 11:8 it describes the friend’s persistence in the parable of the midnight visitor. The argument is by contrast: if shameless insistence can obtain a favor from an unwilling person, God will much more surely answer the earnest prayers of His people.