Tks. to Jeff Stride for this sermon
The Power of Persistent Prayer
Daniel 10:1-10:14
ILLUS: There’s a supposedly true story of a Welsh woman who lived in a remote valley in Wales. She went to a great deal of trouble and expense to have electrical power installed in her home. However, after a couple of months, the electric company noticed she didn’t seem to use very much electricity at all.
Thinking there might be a problem with the hookup, they sent a meter reader out to check on the matter. The man came to the door and said, "We’ve just checked your meter and it doesn’t seem that you’re using much electricity. Is there a problem?"
"Oh no" she said. "We’re quite satisfied. We turn on the electric lights every night to see how to light our lamps and then we switch them off again."
A. Why didn’t this woman make more use of her electricity?
1. She believed in electricity
2. She believed the promises of the electric company
when they told her about it
3. She went to a great deal of trouble and expense to
have her house wired for it
4. BUT - she didn’t understand the potential of
electricity in her home.
AND SO, she used it’s power sparingly
B. There are people who use prayer very much the same way.
1. They believe in prayer
2. They know of the promises God has made
3. They’ve even read and heard stories about
answered prayers
4. BUT they use prayer’s power sparingly…
Many People look at prayer in 1 of 2 ways!
1. They either believe:
a. God’s gonna do, what God’s gonna do anyway –
so why bother!?
2. OR--they regard prayer as a last resort after all of
their other efforts have failed.
3. Sort of like “Hail Mary” pass in football. They throw
it up in the air and hope it reaches the desired
destination.
4. They’ll pray a little bit.
5. They’ll throw up occasional appeals…
But in their heart of hearts, they don’t view prayer as making that big an impact on the decisions they make every day.
But Daniel didn’t pray that way
• 1. Daniel prayed 3 times every day
• 2. He prayed in his room
• 3. He prayed in the lions’ den
• 4. He prayed for wisdom
• 5. He prayed for guidance
• 6. He prayed that God would forgive the sins of His
people Israel and return them to their home.
But NOW, we find Daniel struggling in prayer for 21 days because he’s troubled by a dream he’s had.
Many Christians would have trouble praying for 21 days for anything.
Luke 18:1-7-- 1Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”
6Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.
Jesus taught us - we should always pray and not give up
ILLUS: We should be like the 3-year-old boy (that Paul Harvey told about) who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered the grocery store she said to him, "Now you’re not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask."
She put him up in the cart & he sat in the little child’s seat while she wheeled down the aisles. He was doing just fine until they came to the cookie section. He saw the chocolate chip cookies & he stood up in the seat & said, “Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies?” She said, “I told you not even to ask. You’re not going to get any at all.” So he sat back down.
They continued down the aisles, but in their search for certain items they ended up back in the cookie aisle. “Mom, can I please have some chocolate chip cookies?” She said, “I told you that you can’t have any. Now sit down & be quiet.”
Finally, they were approaching the checkout lane. The little boy sensed that this may be his last chance. So just before they got to the line, he stood up on the seat of the cart & shouted in his loudest voice, “In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?”
And everybody round about just laughed. Some even applauded. And, due to the generosity of the other shoppers, the little boy & his mother left with 23 boxes of chocolate chip cookies.
I. We ought always to pray and not give up.
A. WHY should we always pray and not give up?
1. I mean is God deaf?
2. Is it hard to get His attention?
3. Do we have to keep bothering Him until He
throws up His hands in disgust and says "If I don’t grant
their request I’ll never get any rest?"
B. No, I don’t think that’s the issue at all. In fact, our
text this morning seems to be saying something else
entirely.
1. Look at Daniel 10:10-12. NOTICE it says “SINCE THE
FIRST DAY that you set your mind to gain
understanding and to humble yourself before your
God, YOUR WORDS WERE HEARD, and I have come in
response to them.” (vs. 12)
2. This isn’t the 1st time an angel has told Daniel this:
(Daniel 9:23) 23When you first started praying, an
answer was given, and I came to tell you, because God
loves you very much.
3. In other words, every time you and I pray not only
does God gladly hear our prayers… an angel is
immediately sent from the throne of God to answer
our prayers.
II. Why should we always pray & not give up?
A. The story of Daniel’s prayer (here in chap. 10) gives us
at least one reason why that should be true.
Let’s read Daniel 10:12-13 again!!
12Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
1.Now consider what this says:
2.BUT this is one of those rare times God pulls back
the curtain and lets us see what’s happening behind
the scenes.
“The prince of the kingdom of Persia,” refers to an evil angel appointed by satan to control the Persian Government. The passage reveale that satan had placed an agent in charge of Persia.
ILLUS: It’s kind of like when you’re at a theatrical play and the curtain is closed. You don’t usually see what takes place behind the curtain. If you didn’t know better, you might never realize that while the curtain is closed the props are brought out, the scenery is changed and the actors take their positions. But every once in a while somebody slips up and the curtain is accidentally drawn back and you see what is taking place behind the scenes. That’s (in essence) what God is doing here - He’s drawing back the curtain so you see what ordinarily would be hidden from your eyes.
B. When Daniel prayed demonic forces rose up (the
prince of Persia) and angelic warfare was broke out.
1.You know what that means?
a.That means – that when you pray – you turn loose
the very powers of heaven
2.That means – that when you pray – you have the
power to battle the very forces of darkness
3.That means – that when you pray – angels are
willing to fight = to answer your prayers
Hebrews 1:14
“angels (are) ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation”
WHEN YOU PRAY angels RESPOND to your PRAYER!!!
III. Now, here’s an interesting question…
A. Daniel prayed 21 days.
1.The angel was sent the 1st day he prayed…
2. but didn’t arrive until the 21st day.
3. Now here’s the question: What might have happened had Daniel GIVEN UP in his prayer
What if he had quit on the 14th day, or the 15th, or the 16th? Would the angel have arrived with his answer?
Would the angel have arrived with his answer?
What the Bible doesn’t say, but the implication is – MAYBE NOT!!!
Notice what Jesus says in Luke 18‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”
B. Jesus taught that we should “always pray and not give up”
1.not because God is hard of hearing
2.Not because God needs to be pestered into
answering our requests
3.Not because God doesn’t want to answer us
4. Why should always pray and not give up?
C. BECAUSE OUR PRAYERS CARRY WEIGHT
7“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
D.EVERY TIME you and I pray we unleash more and more power from the throne of God
1. Are you praying for someone in your family to
become a Christian? Keep Praying!!
2. Do you pray for a situation of which you would
Like an answer from God? –Keep Praying!!
3. In the midst of a financial struggle—Keep Praying!
4. Do you need healing in your body-Keep Praying!!
IV. Prayer must be an aggressive active Ministry
A. Prayer is not a passive act on our part
1. Prayer is AN AGGRESSIVE, ACTIVE MINISTRY.
3.You are putting your shoulder to the wheel and moving the forces of heaven.
ILLUS: One man describing his prayers said “When I pray – I PUSH
When everything seems to go wrong, I just Push!
When the job gets me down, I just Push!
When people don’t react the way I think they should, I just Push!
When my money looks funny and the bills are due, I just Push!
When people just don’t understand me, I just Push!
PUSH stands for P-ray!!! U-ntil!!! S-omething!!! H-appens!!!
CLOSE: As you use your Prayer Journals this month – don’t just pray on something once or twice. Pray your prayers again and again and again
– PUSH your prayers
– Empower the angels of God
– Unleash the power of heaven
Illustration
While crossing the Atlantic on an oceanliner, F.B. Meyer was asked to address the first class passengers. At the captain's request he spoke on "Answered Prayer." An agnostic who was present at the service was asked by his friends, "What did you think of Dr. Meyer's sermon?" He answered, "I didn't believe a word of it." That afternoon Meyer went to speak to the steerage passengers. Many of the listeners at his morning address went along, including the agnostic, who claimed he just wanted to hear "what the babbler had to say."
Before starting for the service, the agnostic put two oranges in his pocket. On his way he passed an elderly woman sitting in her deck chair fast asleep. Her hands were open. In the spirit of fun, the agnostic put the two oranges in her outstretched palms. After the meeting, he saw the old lady happily eating one of the pieces of fruit. "You seem to be enjoying that orange," he remarked with a smile. "Yes, sir," she replied, "My Father is very good to me." "Your father? Surely your father can't be still alive!" "Praise God," she replied, "He is very much alive." "What do you mean?" pressed the agnostic. She explained, "I'll tell you, sir. I have been seasick for days. I was asking God somehow to send me an orange. I suppose I fell asleep while I was praying. When I awoke, I found He had not only sent me one orange but two!" The agnostic was speechless. Later he was converted to Christ.
Yes, praying in God's will brings an answer.
Tks to Jeff Stride for this sermon
