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?
Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,..”(Ps.24:3-4)
UNFORGIVENESS: Closely aligned with bitterness is unforgiveness. Jesus says that unforgivness hinders our prayers by blocking our relationships with God and others. Jesus says, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
BROKEN FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS: Men have you ever given thought of the connection between your prayer life and how you treat your wife? The Bible teaches us in 1 Peter 3
In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.
Does this mean if my wife does not treat me with the respect I think I deserve, then I am exempt from honoring and loving her as Christ loves the church?
NO WAY!!!!!
There is not an opt out clause. Men we are given a firm command. The result of our disobedience is that God will not answer our prayer if we violate His purposes by failing to demonstrate His love and grace to our family members, especially our husband and wives.
IDOLS: We need to examine our priorities. Anything we value more than God is an idol and will hinder our prayers. Listen carefully to what God says to Isreal through the prophet Ezekiel,
“Son of man, these leaders have set up idols in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin. Why should I listen to their requests?
In this sobering verse God is saying, ‘I will not answer your prayers if you are seeking idols.’
He is not speaking of statues. He is referring to idols of the heart. An idol is anything we give higher priority than God. It could be your car. Clothes can be an idol. Your education or talents can become idols. Your reputation or job can be an idol when it gets in the way of your relationship with God.
God deserves our primary love and devotion. Jesus affirmed this in the greatest commandment,
you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
STINGINESS: Finally, an ungenerous heart can hinder your prayer. Proverbs 21:13 says, Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.
If we are stingy, we won’t be heard, but if we are compassionate and generous, our prayers will be answered.
Proverbs 11:25 The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
Proverbs 22:9 Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.
Now before we go on, I think it is important to stop and take a personal inventory,
• Is there anything in my life that is keeping me from a clear conscience and unbroken fellowship with God
• Have I confessed my sins to God and asked His forgiveness?
• Have I accepted the forgiveness of God? Or am I holding onto past sins and guilt?
• Have I recognized that I am a child of God? Have I thought about what my relationship with God really means?
• What are my motives when I pray?
• Am I harboring bitterness or forgiveness against anyone, especially my wife or husband?
• Am I holding my hand closed from giving and so robbing myself of God’s blessing?
Take time to pray silently and personally
It may be that God is telling you to call someone or send them a letter or email. Whatever you feel God telling you to do, do not hesitate. Lets keep the lines of communication clear ad free.
But Pastor ralph, I have checked my heart. As far as I can tell everything is clear and clean between myself, God and others. I have not set up any idols that I know of. I am giving all I can, and yet it seems as if God does not hear me when I call. Why is He taking so long?
There is another reality of prayer which is seldom mentioned in the church. Prayer is spiritual warfare. The Bible says that we fight against an unseen enemy who is actively working to distract, discourage and destroy you if he can.
I would like you to turn to an OT passage that bears this truth out. Daniel 10:10-13
Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.”
When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling. Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”
Daniel was a man of faith who understood what it meant to be a prayer warrior.
• Daniel prayed 3 times every day
• He prayed in his room
• He prayed in the lions’ den
• He prayed for wisdom
• He prayed for guidance
• He prayed that God would forgive the sins of His people Israel and return them to their home.
Daniel did not just pray when convenient or when it was necessary. He lived a lifestyle of prayer.
AND 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 2 minutes let alone 21 days. There are two lessons Daniels experience in prayer teach us,
1. Delay does not mean Denial (vv.12-13)
2. Delay does not mean Defeat (vv.20-21;12:1-4, etc)
We must learn to wait on God until the answer comes to us. Sometimes, the answer to our prayer takes time. As soon as Daniel began to pray, God began to answer him. The answer was on its way. There was no tardiness in heaven.
When we enter into fasting and prayer, we enter into a different level of the spiritual world. There is a battle raging in the unseen world. We must be ready for battle. In Ephesains 6 we are given our battle instructions, Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm… Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
W.Wiersbe- The word persistant simply means “to stick to it and not quit.” Perseverance in prayer does not mean we are trying to twist God’s arm, but rather that we are deeply concerned and burdened and cannot rest until we get God’s answer. …Most of us quit praying just before God is about to give the victory. Not everybody is so constituted that he can sincerely spend a whole night in prayer, but all of us can persevere in prayer far more than we do. The early church prayed without ceasing when Peter was in prison and, at the last moment, God gave them their answer (Act_12:1-19). Keep on praying until the Spirit stops you or the Father answers you. Just about the time you feel like quitting, God will give the answer.
That brings us to our primary passage we read earlier. Luke writes: Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
REPEAT: 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.
We ought always to pray and not give up…
But why? WHY should we always pray and not give up? I mean is God deaf?
Is it hard to get His attention? 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?"
In this text Jesus give us five wonderful reasons never to give up.
1. Don’t Give Up There Is Too Much At Stake(1-2a)
Dr. Luke does not leave us guessing as to the point that Jesus intends to make. “ Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit
One translation uses the phrase “ought to pray”. This really is not quite strong enough. Prayer is not something that we are just permitted to do if we please. The word should be translated “must”, “they must always pray.”
Furthermore Jesus says that men always must pray and not give up. The KJV says “and not faint.” The word “faint” is used to describe a believer who loses heart and gets so discouraged that they want to quit.
It is a word to describe the feeling of pain and agony a marathon runner has when he/she reaches the mid-point of the race. Runners refer to it as hitting the wall. Every muscle in their body screams in pain, “STOP”. But the seasoned runner knows, that if he/she does stop than they will not continue. With every once of strength they push ahead with a renewed strength to run.
The meaning seems clear, the choice is ours, “If we don’t pray we will lose heart and stop.” Who among us has not felt like since our prayers are not being effective, we might as well just quit? But perhaps the question that we should consider is, “What happens when we give up?”
Don’t Give Up There Is Too Much At Stake and…
2. Don’t Give Up When Circumstances Seem to Be Against You (v.3)
There are two characters in this parable . The first character that we are introduced to is the judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people.
The second character Jesus tells us is a widow in the city who kept after him: ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me!’
The initial response of the judge was predictable, “He never gave her the time of day.
We are told up front that this judge does not care about God or about men. Today we would say, “He could not have cared less.”
To better understand the widows predicament, consider how everything is stacked against her.
First of all as a widow, she had little standing before the law. In the society of that day a woman did not go to court. The widows, are a segment of society that was often oppressed and taken advantage of legally (Isa. 1:17, 23).
Secondly, because she is a widow she did not have a husband to stand with her in the court.
Finally, since widow and poor was almost synonymous, she had no means to pay a bribe even if she wanted too. We are not told the circumstances of her adversary or how he was oppressing her. But we are told that his oppression was unjust.
To further complicate things, “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 proceeding from 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 could call the judges attention to the case. This is still true in much of the third world countries today.” [Warren Weirsbe. Be Courageous Luke 14-24. (Wheaton, ILL.: Victor Books, 1989) p. 62]
In the natural, this was a hopeless situation. Who would listen to a poor, nameless widow. She had nothing to give. But her situation was desperate and she would not give up nor would she give in to despair.
As hopeless as her situation must have seemed, she was persistent. Luke says she KEPT AFTER THE JUDGE., until finally after this went on and on he said to himself, ‘I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.’”
The language of verse three indicated that every day she begged him for help. “The language leaves open the possibility of confrontation everywhere, not just in the court. She pleaded with him in front of his friends and his colleagues, she confronted him in the street, she pestered him in the market, she called out to him at his home.” [R. Kent Hughes. Luke:That You May Know the Truth. Vol 2. (Wheaton, ILL.: Crossway, 1998) p. 185.]
You see her only option was to keep asking the judge to help her; she had no other alternative. By the same token, I do not think that we will ever really pray and especially keep on praying until we come to the place of complete desperation and have no other plan or recourse!
Don’t Give Up When Circumstances Seem to Be Against You And ….
3. Don’t Give Up the Answer May Be Just Around the Corner. (vv. 4-5)
According to verse four the judge finally became weary of her constant petitions. “The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
Although the Judge keeps refusing, she keeps coming. Today we might translate the Judge’s statement that the widow “troubles me” (v. 5) as “she is wearing me out.“ A literal translation of the phrase is “blackens the eye,” (marginal note of NASB) probably in the sense that by her persistence she is giving his reputation a black eye. The judge is finally moved to help her not out of sense of justice or compassion but one of self-preservation.
Don’t Give Up the Answer May Be Just Around the Corner And …
3. Don’t Give Up God is Working Out the Answer (vv. 7-8a)
Don’ t make the mistake of equating delay with denial. In verse seven, Jesus makes the application, “Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”
We need to understand that Jesus is not comparing God to an unjust judge. Rather he is making a point by contrast. Unless we see that Jesus is pointing out contrasts, we will get the idea that God must be argued or bribed into answering our prayers.
This is Jesus point, if a poor widow can get an uncaring judge to answer her request by perseverance, then how much more should we expect that the Righteous judge (God) who does care will answer the request of his children’s persistent request.
All down through the centuries believers have struggled with the seeming silence of God to their prayers in verse eight Jesus addresses that issue. “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily…”
Here Jesus says that God answers all pleas of justice and does so quickly. So how are we to reconcile this promise with the fact that some prayers do not seem to be answered quickly, if at all. The moment that God hears our request, if it is in his will, he begins to work out the answer. We may not see it now but one day the answer will come.
Let me tell you a story that I believe illustrate what I mean. “Roger Simms, hitchhiking his way home, would never forget the date--May 7. His heavy suitcase made Roger tired. He was anxious to take off his army uniform once and for all. Flashing the hitchhiking sign to the oncoming car, he lost hope when he saw it was a black, sleek, new Cadillac. To his surprise the car stopped. The passenger door opened. He ran toward the car, tossed his suitcase in the back, and thanked the handsome, well-dressed man as he slid into the front seat. "Going home for keeps?" "Sure am," Roger responded. "Well, you’re in luck if you’re going to Chicago." "Not quite that far. Do you live in Chicago?" "I have a business there. My name is Hanover." After talking about many things, Roger, a Christian, felt a compulsion to witness to this fifty-ish, apparently successful businessman about Christ. But he kept putting it off, till he realized he was just thirty minutes from his home. It was now or never. So, Roger cleared his throat, "Mr. Hanover, I would like to talk to you about something very important." He then proceeded to explain the way of salvation, ultimately asking Mr. Hanover if he would like to receive Christ as his Savior. To Roger’s astonishment the Cadillac pulled over to the side of the road. Roger thought he was going to be ejected from the car. But the businessman bowed his head and received Christ, then thanked Roger. "This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me."
Five years went by, Roger married, had a two-year-old boy, and a business of his own. Packing his suitcase for a business trip to Chicago, he found the small, white business card Hanover had given him five years before. In Chicago he looked up Hanover Enterprises. A receptionist told him it was impossible to see Mr. Hanover, but he could see Mrs. Hanover. A little confused as to what was going on, he was ushered into a lovely office and found himself facing a keen-eyed woman in her fifties. She extended her hand. "You knew my husband?" Roger told how her husband had given him a ride when hitchhiking home after the war. "Can you tell me when that was?" "It was May 7, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army." "Anything special about that day?" Roger hesitated. Should he mention giving his witness? Since he had come so far, he might as well take the plunge. "Mrs. Hanover, I explained the gospel. He pulled over to the side of the road and wept against the steering wheel. He gave his life to Christ that day." Explosive sobs shook her body. Getting a grip on herself, she sobbed, "I had prayed for my husband’s salvation for years. I believed God would save him." "And," said Roger, "Where is your husband, Mrs. Hanover?" "He’s dead," she wept, struggling with words. "He was in a car crash after he let you out of the car. He never got home. You see--I thought God had not kept His promise." Sobbing uncontrollably, she added, "I stopped living for God five years ago because I thought He had not kept His word!" [J. Kirk Johnston, Why Christians Sin, Discovery House, 1992, pp. 39-41. www.christianglobe.com/illustrations/prayer]
Don’t Give Up God is Working Out the Answer And
5. Don’t Give Up Jesus Always Keeps His Promises (v. 8b)
Jesus concludes with a question in the last part of verse eight,’ how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”
Why does Jesus want us to be persistent in prayer? Because prayer demonstrates faith. That is really what he is after. Without faith, prayer becomes little more than a ritual that we perform and then stand in wonder “Does it really work?”
Then when our prayer is answered we are amazed.
But notice that Jesus does not say “if the Son of Man Comes” he says “When the Son of Man Comes”. Jesus is saying something like this, “You can count on the fact I will return just as I have said I would and when I do will bring the justice that I have promised. ‘Therefore don’t concern yourself about whether I will fulfill my promises, but rather whether you will be found faithful when I return.” What we need to concern ourselves in not the Lord’s faithfulness, but rather our own!
Conclusion
Jesus’ encouragement to his disciples to pray and not give up is still relevant to us today. Unlike the widow who had no one to plead her case, Jesus’ followers have an advocate in heaven.
We are really faced with a choice between praying or losing heart, going on with God or Giving up on God.
Invitation: A church that seeks to grow must never shortchange prayer. We must be people of prayer. The question God is asking us is, “Will you persevere in prayer?”
RESOURCES
Dr.Myles Monroe, Understanding the Purpose and Power of Prayer
Full Life bible Commentary to the New Testament, Luke
R.A.Torrey, The Power of Prayer
W.Wiersbe, Expository Commentary on The New Testament, Luke
John Hamby, Sermoncentral/sermons/Persevering in Prayer
