Persistent Prayer
Luke 18:1-18:6
Introduction-
We will continue to look at Jesus parables and how we can apply his teachings to our life.
Last week we looked at honoring God with our lives and make sure that God gets the glory.
This week we look at prayer-persistent prayer of the widow.
Luke 18:1-18:6
Prayer can sometimes be a thankless task.
Prayer can seem like nothing is happening and it would be easy to quit.
Prayer forces us to be disciplined and we don’t like that.
Prayer has us communicating with someone we don’t see but are hopeful that He hears us.
Prayer has a mystery to it, and has faith stretched to the max most of the time.
What can we learn from this parable?
Let’s set this up
There are 2 main characters- unjust judge and a widow who was wronged.
The widow wanted the judge to right the wrong and he was not interested in helping her.
Here is something you probably did not know-
Barna Group found that 90% of people pray. 86% say that they believe in God. It is Interesting that more people pray than believe in God. Why would they do that? Could it be for wrong reasons? I took my wife out the other night and was kidding with my friend that I was building up some “get out of jail free” points. Is that the right reason to do things? Give to get?
Illustration-
A young man went into the drugstore to buy 3 boxes of chocolate: small, medium, and large. When the pharmacist asked him about the three boxes, he said, “Well I’m going over to a new girlfriend’s house for supper. Then we are going out. If she only lets me hold her hand, then I’ll give her the small box. If she lets me kiss her on the cheek, then I’ll give her the medium box. But if she really lets me smooch seriously, I’ll give her the big box.” He made his purchase and left. That evening as he sat down at dinner with his girlfriend’s family, he asked if he could say the prayer before the meal. He began to pray, and he prayed an earnest, intense prayer that lasted for almost five minutes. When he finished his girlfriend said, “You never told me you were such a religious person.” “And you never told me your dad was a pharmacist.”
We as believers know that we should be praying.
We know that God answers prayer and is concerned with what is going on in our lives.
How do we go from knowing to doing it? The answer is found in this parable.
This judge was unconcerned about the needs of others.
He did not care what people thought of him.
We live in a society like that and we see people like that every day that affect our lives and most time it is a negative.
People with power that do us wrong and we like the widow are looking for justice.
This widow had some sort of adversary that was trying to take advantage of her. Likely they were trying to cheat her because she was a widow by stealing money or land because she was vulnerable and did not hold much weight in a court of law.
Strike one that she was a women.
Strike two because she faced a judge that did not care for anyone but himself.
Anyone relate to that? Your back is up against the wall and the powers above are showing no mercy and you feel helpless.
Jesus was talking to his disciples (v1) “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
2 things should come to mind first and foremost when you are up against something bigger than you are.
(1)- Always Pray
The prayer of the righteous man availeth much.”
Pray without ceasing.
P.U.S.H- Pray until something happens. It begins with prayer and it ends with prayer.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus.
Prayer is not the last thing you do , it is the first and the last thing you do!
Prayer is the greatest weapon we have at our disposal against an enemy that wants to destroy us.
Prayer is the way that we position ourselves to hear from God.
Jesus says “always pray”- persistence. I know that some teachings say give it to God once and after that it shows a lack of faith on our part. Listen, this parable was given by Jesus, He said that “She kept coming.” That is not a lack of faith, it is an example of faith. The poor widow had no money, no powerful attorney, nothing to bribe him with, she had persistence. Pray without ceasing.
Jesus taught us here that we should always be praying and not giving up.
Not because God is hard of hearing.
Not because we have to beg for us to be heard.
Not because He does not want to answer us.
It is because prayer carries weight.
We allow the power of heaven to be applied to that situation, that person, that circumstance.
Prayer is not a passive act. It is aggressive ministry that moves the hands of God to do His will for our lives.
He tells us to pray because we are helpless in ourselves.
We pray because the need is bigger than we are and if nothing else we want to see God change the circumstance or God change us! Something will happen!
Illustration-
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. That parrot would only say, “let’s kiss, let’s kiss,” so the pastor invited the deacon over to his house. When the deacon arrives they put the parrots into the same cage to see what would happen. The deacon’s parrot said, let’s kiss. The pastor’s parrot said, “Thank you Lord, my prayer has been answered.”
(2) Never give up
To look at this parable, the judge had seemed to have the upper hand. He was in control. But this widow was also insistent.
“Grant me justice against my adversary.” She did not give up!
Like the women in Luke Chapter 8 with the issue of blood. She knew that if she touched the hem of Jesus she would be healed, her prayer would be answered.
God desires us to come to the throne of God with boldness, and with a heart of expectation that God would do something amazing and far beyond what you can do ourselves.
Never give up
Do you realize that you might be a moment away from a breakthrough, you might be so close and you do not want to let go and give up.
This widow was persistent
This widow was insistent
This widow was consistent
(5) “This widow will eventually wear me out with her coming.”
I think this judge’s unwillingness to help spurred this widow all the more that she was going to be persistent to see something happen.
Did you get that?
Persistent
Insistent
Consistent
Always praying, never giving up.
How’s your prayer life?
How does it compare and will you see Godly results?
Or do you leave things up to your talents, your strength, your wisdom?
The last thing I want you to see is a big one.
(6) “And the Lord said, “listen to what the unjust judge says, and will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.”
The principal that we learn from the widow are great.
But the God that we serve is not like the unjust judge. Praise the Lord! We do not have to beg God to hear our prayers. We do not have to beg Him to be concerned about what is going on in our lives.
If an unworthy judge who doesn’t care about anything but himself is compelled by persistence to deal with a helpless individual, how much more will God answer our prayers?
The Lord is looking for a few dedicated believers to stand in the gap and watch God do something amazing.
Don’t worry pray!
Worry is a negative and faith moves in the positive.
Worry waste time and prayer changes things.
Illustration-
Worry is like rocking in a rocking chair- it gives you something to do, but you never go anywhere with it.
Prayer gets God involved instead of just you.
God can say yes, no, not now or wait. He can answer you quickly sometimes, and at times seems like He did not hear you.
You call 911- you want quick response. It is usually because it is an emergency. (At least to us) and that is how we picture God and our prayers- sometimes He does that and sometimes He does not.
Sometimes we want it to be quick but God says wait!
Don’t quit praying and don’t think God doesn’t care.
It just isn’t time yet, and things have to happen to make it right.
We force doors open that were not meant to be opened and we create problems for ourselves.
Anyone know what I’m talking about?
Sometimes God says No!
No is an answer to prayer, but most times we do not like that so we look for a different answer.
Prayer request- we are asking God for an answer and no is an answer.
When we make our prayers a demand, we lose God’s blessing and usually are looking for trouble.
C.S. Lewis-
Prayer is a request. The essence of a request, as distinct as a demand, is it may or may not be granted.”
Lastly
God may answer your prayer request better than what your asking for.
Ruth Graham
If God answered every prayer of mine, I would have married the wrong man seven times.”
Closing,
The great thing about serving a God that cares is that He may answer your prayer better than you could have imagined and taken a bad thing and turn it into a blessing that you would have never seen coming.
Don’t give up on God because He has not given up on you.
Amen.
