Persevering Prayer Series

PRAYER: Rediscovering the Presence, Promise and Power

Persevering in Prayer

Luke 18:1-8

Let’s do a review together. In John 17, Jesus establishes the PRIORITY of prayer. Everything we do has its beginning and end with God’s glory. Prayer is not about you. Its about God and His Glory. He deserves the glory, we serve Him for His glory and in the end He receives glory by our faithful obedience to His purpose for our lives.

How do we pray? In Luke 11 and Matthew 6 Jesus presents a PATTERN for prayer. We refer to it as the Lord’s prayer. It is Jesus blueprint for prayer.

It is prayer established by a new RELATIONSHIP with God ; It is prayer that leads us into God’s PRESENCE; It affirms on GODS PRIORITIES: It is focused on a new SUBMISSION to God and His will ; It affirms our dependence on God for His PROVISION; It is praying on the basis of a new PARDON. Having been forgiven we extend forgiveness to others.; It is prayer trusting in God’s PROTECTION from the enemy; and finally it is a prayer which climaxes with God’s GLORY.

What about unanswered prayer? What do I do when it seems God is silent? Why does my prayer seem to go unanswered?

P.S. When it seems as if God is taking too long in answering our prayer then we need to find encouragement in Jesus command to PERSEVERE IN PRAYER.

Read Luke 18:1-8

When it comes to the question of why prayer goes unanswered, there is not one singular answer. Here are a few Biblical reasons. What are the things which hinder prayer?

SIN: The Bible says that if we humble ourselves, seek God and turn from sin, God will forgive us and hear our prayers ( 2 Chron. 7:14)

FEAR: Fear blocks our prayers by undermining our faith. The Apostle Paul reminds the timid Timothy to embrace God’s forgiveness reminding him that he had been given a new spirit, So Paul exhorts Timothy,

to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

GUILT: To be free from feelings of condemnation, we must realize that not only has God forgiven us, but has also forgotten our sins; Therefore, we can pray with a clean conscience and with assurance just as we are encouraged to in Hebrews 4,

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

FEELINGS OF INFERIORITY: As God’s beloved children we are not BEGGARS in prayer. We can pray confidently based on God’s word, Jesus testimony and the Spirits enabling

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.( Romans 8:26-27)

DOUBT: Doubt hinders our prayers because we don’t trully believe what we are saying. The Bible clearly warns, ‘when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.’ ( James 1:6-7)

WRONG MOTIVES: I don’t know how to say it more clearly than James does, Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

When we have our priorities right, putting Gods glory first and foremost, He will hear our prayers and meet our daily needs.

BITTERNESS: The Bible warns against allowing bitterness to take root in our lives, because bitterness will stifle faith and our ability to trust God in prayer. The Bible clearly says that God will not hear our prayer if we hold onto iniquity in our hearts. We need to maintain hearts that are clear, pure and transparent before God.

Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?