Abraham: Persistence in Prayer
Genesis 18:16-18:33
Tonight we are going to be starting a series on prayer. For the next few Sundays we are going to be looking at men and women in the Bible who prayed prayers that made a difference and how those prayers should apply to our own prayers lives and as we all know prayer should be important to our lives and our relationship with God. Because when it comes having a relationship with God, one of the ways to keep that relationship with God vibrant is through prayer.
Tonight we are going to be looking at Persistence in Prayer and we are going to be using Abraham as our example so turn with me if you would to Genesis 18:26-33.
There was a pastor who had a parrot. All the parrot would say was, “Let’s pray, let’s pray.” The pastor tried to teach him to say other things but to no avail. He learned that one of his deacons had a parrot. The parrot would only say, “Let’s kiss. Let’s kiss.” So the pastor decided to invite the deacon and his parrot over to his house. When the deacon arrived they put the parrots into the same cage to see what would happen. The deacon’s parrot said, “Let’s kiss, let’s kiss.” The pastor’s parrot said, “Thank you, Lord. My prayers have been answered.” There’s great power in persistent prayer.
Tonight as we will read here in a minute, God here tells Abraham His plans to destroy Sodom & Gomorrah because of the sin and decay of the people in these cities. Now remember, God had promised Abraham two things when He called him. First, he would be the father of many nations. Second, he would live in the promise land. Back in chapter 13 Abraham’s nephew Lot, had parted ways and had chosen to live in Sodom & Gomorrah. Chapter 14 tells us how Abraham saves Lot’s life one time. Lot was taken captive when Sodom & Gomorrah was invaded. Abraham with his 318 trained servants rescued Lot from his captors then returned to this wicked city.
As we pick up our story, we see in Gen. 18:1-15 that 3 strangers visit Abraham. Some believe this to be angels of the Lord, some have said or described them as God the Father, God the Son & God the Holy Spirit. We are told God tells Abraham his plan to destroy the two cities of Sodom & Gomorrah, Abraham begins to intercede on behalf of his nephew Lot. Read Genesis 18:16-33.
I. He had the right qualities to be an intercessor.
1. The right attributes
A. He was a man of faith. He was a man that trusted the Lord God with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength. This was a man that trusted in the Lord and leaned not on his own understanding. This was the man who was 99 years old when God told him that he and his wife was going to have a son and they were to name him Isaac and Abraham believed. This is also the same man who took his son Isaac up on the mountain to sacrifice him because God told him too. No questions asked!
Abraham was a man of faith and church when it comes to prayer faith is the key ingredient, because without faith there is no need for you and me to pray. Without faith there is no God to talk too.
B. God considered him His friend. In Isa. 41:8 it says, “But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend…” Why did God consider Abraham His friend? Abraham had a relationship with God. He was one of God’s children
Church in order for us to intercede for others before God we have to make sure that we are God’s friend. We have to make sure that we personally have a relationship with Him. Because it’s with that relationship that we become friends with God and are able to go and talk to Him as a friend.
2. The right attitude.
A. He was unselfish. He was praying for others. He was thinking of others rather than himself. That’s a totally different attitude than the worlds. The world says it’s all about me, myself and I. God said and showed that it is about others. Remember that when we pray it’s not always about you. It is important that we pray for others.
B. He was humble. In v. 27 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes…” We need to realize that when we approach God in prayer that we aren’t worthy. But because of God’s grace and mercy He has made us worthy. When Jesus died on the cross He made it possible for us to approach God. However, we need to humble ourselves by remembering the price that was paid just so that we can approach God. We are to come before God in Awe and Wonder that we have the honor and the privilege to be in the presence of God.
C. He was reverent. He recognized God’s greatness. Read v. 23-25. He recognized that God had the right to judge Sodom and Gomorrah; however, Abraham also knew that God had the power to spare the lives of those that loved God. When we come before God in prayer we should always recognize His greatness. We should always recognize the fact that God is all powerful and all loving.
3. The right approach.
A. He was aware of God’s presence. Abraham realized that he was standing before God and talking to Him. You can tell by the statements that Abraham made: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord…” “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak…” “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more…”
When we approach God we must be aware of the fact that we are in the presence of God the Father, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, and the first and the last.
b. He knew what he wanted. Abraham knew what he wanted and he wasn’t afraid to ask for it. Abraham didn’t beat around the bush. He had the faith to believe that if he asked God to spare those that belonged to Him that God would answer his prayer. When we pray folks come before God knowing what you want to ask Him. Don’t beat around the bush and don’t be afraid to ask Him. The reality is He already knows what you want so why not tell Him.
II. Abraham was persistent.
When it came to his prayer one thing can be said for sure and that is Abraham was persistent in his prayer.
1. Persistence in Praying is a Delight to God.
A. God delights in His children asking. In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Abraham asked God in v. 23-33 6 times to spare those who belonged to Him. Church, I’m a firm believer that God wants us to ask Him for things. But with that said make sure that the things we ask for is God’s will and not ours.
Billy Graham said, “Heaven is full of answers to prayers for which no one ever bothered to ask.” Have faith in the God of the dream; let’s ask God to bring the dream to completion. God’s answer is ready; it’s just waiting for our personal and persistent request.
B. Persistent praying takes faith & nothing delights God more than faith. Abraham asked God to spare those that belonged to Him and Abraham had the faith to believe that God would spare them. In fact, God told Abraham all 6 times that He would spare those who belonged to Him and I believe God made that promise because he saw that Abraham had enough faith to believe that He would do it. Persistent praying shows that we have the faith to believe that God has the answers.
2. Persistence In Praying Demonstrates Our Sincerity.
I may not say this right, but I believe God sometimes tests us to see how sincere we are in our requests. Abraham was sincere and we should be too.
But I also ask this question what kind of Christian would you be if you received whatever you ask, when you asked for it? God’s will for us at times is to grow our faith, and to be still and know that He is God. His will for us might be to persist.
3. Persistence In Praying Develops Our Faith.
A man becomes physically strong by working continuously. A weight lifter trains constantly. Someone has said prayer is the gymnasium of our soul.
It is through persistent prayer that our faith is exercised & strengthened.
4. Persistence In Praying Delivers Our Desire.
Psalms 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Now we must understand that He delivers our desires as long as it is in His will. And as we have read, Abraham was very persistent in his prayer and God answered his prayer. In Genesis 19:29 it says, “So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.” If we are persistent in our prayer life God will deliver the desires of our hearts if it is in His will for our lives.
So in closing, understand that we do not place our trust and faith in prayer, but rather we place our trust and faith in the Holy God we pray to. So in being persistent in our prayer we should continue to pray until one of 3 things happens. 1. God assures us that He has heard our prayers and the answer is on the way. 2. We receive what we ask for. 3. God reveals to us in a definite way that what we ask is not His will for us.
Jesus taught that we should “always pray and not give up.” Not because God is hard of hearing. Not because God needs to be pestered into answering
our requests. Not because God doesn’t want to answer us.
NO… Jesus taught us always pray and not give up because, when we pray, our prayers carry weight. EVERY TIME you and I pray we unleash more and more power from the throne of God.
Are you praying for someone in your family to become a Christian? Every prayer you pray puts more and more pressure on that person to listen to God. Do you pray for your friends in their daily struggles? Every prayer you pray imparts to them more and more power from God. Do you have difficulties with someone at work? Every prayer you lift up to God’s throne brings God’s power to bear on difficult people and situations.
Prayer is not a passive act on our part. Prayer is AN AGGRESSIVE, ACTIVE MINISTRY. You are putting your shoulder to the wheel and moving the forces of heaven. So let me close by quoting 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “PRAY CONTINUALLY…” two very powerful words. Folks, lets be persistent in or prayer life because it can and it will make a difference.
