TEXT: Luke 18:1-8
Wait - To stay in place in expectation of. To remain stationary in readiness or expectation.-
How many like to wait. I mean it is hard to wait in a long line in Wall- Mart. You understand don’t you, you only have a few items and there are two or three people ahead of you who looks like they just bought enough for a year and all the other lines are full. Sometimes you are tempted to put things back on the shelf and come back later when the line is down. It seems like they never have enough check outs when I am in a hurry.
Waiting in traffic while you are in a hurry is hard.
{Talk about waiting in the waiting room when Brendon was being born.}
Notice verse 1 from several different translations: “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.” (NLT)
“Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit.” (THE MESSAGE)
“Then Jesus used this story to teach his followers that they should always pray and never lose hope.” (NCV)
As we look at this parable, try to see it in its Eastern setting. The "courtroom" was not a fine building but a tent that was moved from place to place as the judge covered his circuit. The judge, not the law, set the agenda; and he sat regally in the tent surrounded by his assistants. Anybody could watch the proceedings from the outside, but only those who were approved and accepted could have their cases tried. This usually meant bribing one of the assistants so that he would call the judge's attention to the case.
The widow had three obstacles to overcome. First being a woman she, therefore, had little standing before the law. In the Palestinian society of our Lord's day, women did not go to court. Since she was a widow, she had no husband to stand with her in court. Finally, she was poor and could not pay a bribe even if she wanted to. No wonder poor widows did not always get the protection the law was supposed to afford them!
1 Always Pray.
The antidote to despair is not determination but dependence, not positive thinking but prayer. The phrase “should always pray” doesn’t say it quite strongly enough. Prayer is not something we are permitted to do if we please. The word “should” could be translated “must”; “they must always pray and not give up.” Prayer is what we are commanded to do as God’s will.
Philippians 4:6 – “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need…”
Notice the words “anything” and “everything”.
Work like it depends on you; pray like it depends on God.
Four Simple Ways to Communicate with God
• Talk to God with gut level honesty.
You don’t have to pray in the KJV language
Just talk to Him; you don’t have to babble on and on.
• Talk to God about everything that matters to you.
“…instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need…”
Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
God cares about what matters to you.
o Solomon prays about wisdom.
o Moses prayed about water and food.
o Gideon asked for a sign.
o Paul prayed about the thorn in the flesh.
o Abraham prayed for a child
o Elijah prayed for fire.
o Jesus prayed that bread and fish would multiply.
• Talk to God continually.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – “16 Always be joyful. 17 Pray continually, 18 and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus” [NCV].
Does that mean our time must be spent on nothing but prayer? No, but it does mean that we must do nothing without prayer.
It does mean to make prayer as natural to us as our regular breathing. Unless we are sick or smothering, we rarely think about our breathing, we just do it Likewise with prayer - it should be the natural habit of our lives, the "atmosphere" in which we constantly live.
• Take some time to listen to His response.
It’s not a one way conservation.
2. Never give up.
One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. Luke 18:1 [NLT]
During World War II Oxford University asked Prime Minister Winston Churchill to address its commencement exercise. Dressed in his finest suit, he arrived at the auditorium where the service was to be held with his usual props, a cigar, a cane and a top hat. As Churchill approached the podium, the crowd rose in appreciative applause. Standing there looking very dignified, he settled the crowd down and asked them to be seated.
Standing confidently before this crowd of great admirers, he removed his cigar and placed his top hat on the podium. Then Churchill gazed at his waiting audience that included some of the most noted scholars in the world. With an authoritative tone in his voice he began with three words: “Never give up!” Several seconds passed without him saying another word. Finally he repeated those same three words again, “Never give up!” There was a deafening silence as Churchill reached for his hat and cigar, steadied himself with his cane and left the platform. His commencement address was finished.
Let me just say, no matter what is going on in your life now or has been going on in your life you don’t have to give up. No matter how hard it is “Never Give Up!” Let these three words sink into your spirit.
The word faint describes a believer who loses heart and gets so discouraged that he or she wants to quit.
Prayer puts us in touch with the pure oxygen of heaven so that we can keep going.
P – ray
U – ntil
S – omething
H – appens
Many times we are tempted to throw in the towel.
Maybe you have seen and injustice and want to give up.
The widow represents the depth of helplessness and weakness. As a woman in a chauvinistic society, she has almost no political clout. As a widow in that time, she almost certainly knows dire poverty. The death of her husband has left her without an advocate or a protector, and some unscrupulous individual has exploited her weakness. Justice may be on her side, but she has no weapons with which to fight. She is helpless before an indifferent judge.
All she has on her side is stubborn determination to get what is coming to her. She hounds the judge until he can’t stand the sight of her. Persistence was her only resource, and finally she strikes pay dirt. The judge concludes, in effect, “I don’t care about God’s law or people’s opinions. But this woman is wearing me out. If I give her what she wants then she’ll leave me alone.” He has no interest in either justice or the woman’s rights. Yet he acts on her behalf. So a powerless woman with no weapon but persistence and perseverance receives her rights from an evil judge.
How do we keep from quitting?
• Get the right perspective on who God is.
“6 Then the Lord said, "Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?” Luke 18:6, 7 [NLT]
This is a contrasting parable. God is not like the Judge. He wants to bless you with good gifts.
He does not need to be nagged or manipulated into acting on our behalf. His care for our needs is not generated by our wearing Him out with our requests.
He is generous with His gifts and He wants to bless us.
If a helpless widow who had no weapon but her persistence could get her way with a hardhearted, unjust judge, how much more will God’s people receive what they need from a gracious Father!
One of the best things ever invented on the phone is a caller ID. When the phone rings and the name of that individual or company appears on the caller ID you have a choice to answer the phone or ignore it.
When He sees your name on the caller ID He drops everything He is doing to listen to you.
• Remember that God’s timing is always perfect.
Luke 11:9 - "And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”
Don’t give up on your dreams, desires, etc.
Pray until something happens.
He may change you and the desires of your heart.
