Persistent Prayer

CALL TO WORSHIP

Lord, we meet to worship and to bring our prayers. Teach us to be patient as we wait for your response. We know that you hear all our prayers, however they are made and whoever we are. Give us faith to trust your awesome love and care for us. Amen.

Hymn 544: As the deer pants for the water

PRAYERS

A prayer of adoration

Lord, you are our keeper, the one who watches over us, you are always present, ever loving, ever faithful. You are creator and redeemer. We praise you for your kindness and justice, and for all that you are. Amen.

A prayer of confession

Lord, forgive us when we have closed our eyes to the things that matter, when we have prioritised the trivial surface matters over urgent needs and deep-seated injustice. Forgive us when we have chosen to look away from those who need us the most. Forgive us when we have stretched ourselves so thin that we do not have time and energy for that which you call us to do and to be. Forgive us and restore us, we pray. Give us what we need to live, love and pray persistently, in the power and counsel of your Spirit. Amen.

Assurance of forgiveness

Loving God, we know you hear us. You not only hear us, you accept us as your children, surrounding us with grace and forgiveness. Thank you for your unconditional love. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Hymn 51: Great is thy Faithfulness

READING

Genesis 32: 22-31 “The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.…”

Luke 18: 1-8 “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?””

Hymn 545: Be, thou my vision

SERMON

This morning our two readings give an insight into the results of persistence.

The story in Genesis describes Jacob wrestling with God to get the blessing he wants he would not let go until he is blessed. As a result, God blesses him, and he is renamed Israel.

The parable from Luke is also about things happening – they are just happening more slowly than we may want. It also shows that anyone and everyone can come to God with faith and perseverance. The example that Jesus uses in this parable is not about getting justice, neither does it describe God as a judge who doesn’t care. It says that, in contrast to the man who didn’t care about anyone and yet still – eventually – did the right thing, God does care!

A Christian lady had prayed every day of her married life for her husband to come to faith in Jesus. In later life he was admitted to a hospice where, a few days before he passed, a carer prayed with him, and he gave his life to Christ.

The wife had never given up her persistent prayer, and God had always had a plan.

Luke mentions widows more than do all the other Gospel writers combined, In that day, widows usually had a difficult time making ends meet, despite the care God instructed His people to give them in Exodus and Deuteronomy and other books of the old testament. We find acts and other letters identify that the early church was serious about the care of Christian widows which is a good example for us to follow today.

As we look at this parable, we should 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 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 heard. 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 (sorry ladies) she, would have had little standing before the law.

In the Palestinian society at the time of Jesus, women did not go to court it was left to the men.

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 give to them!

Now that we understand something of the setting of this parable, we can better understand what Jesus was teaching. Basically, He was encouraging His disciples to pray, and He did this by presenting three ways.

In verse 1 Jesus told them to pray always and do not lose heart or in some translations, it says Pray always and do not faint. If we don’t pray, we will faint; it’s as simple as that! The word faint can be used to describes a believer who loses heart and gets so discouraged that he or she wants to quit to give up.

I don’t know about you, but I can recall a couple of times when I have fainted physically, and it is the most helpless feeling you can ever experience. I felt myself “going,” but I couldn’t seem to do a thing about it!

There is a connection between what our Lord said in Luke 18:1 and His statement in Luke 17:37. If society is like a rotting corpse, then the “atmosphere” in which we live is being slowly polluted, and this is bound to affect our spiritual lives. But when we pray, we draw on the “pure air” of heaven, and this keeps us from fainting.

But what does it mean “always to pray” or to “pray without ceasing”? that we can read in (1 Thes: 5:17) It certainly doesn’t mean that we should constantly be repeating prayers, because Jesus warned against that kind of praying in (Matt. 6:5–15). Rather, it means 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.

Prayer is much more than the words of our lips; it is the desires of our hearts, and our hearts are constantly “desiring” before Him, even if we never speak a word. So, to “pray without ceasing” means to have such holy desires in our hearts, in the will of God, that we are constantly in loving communion with the Father, petitioning Him for His blessing.

Take your choice: do you want to pray—or faint?

The widow in not like us and in the parable we God’s people are different (vv. 2–5). Jesus did not say that God’s people are like this woman; in fact, He said just the opposite. Because we are not like her, we should be encouraged in our praying. He argued that: “If a poor widow got what she deserved from a selfish judge, how much more will God’s children receive what is right from a loving Heavenly Father!”

Consider the contrasts. To begin with, the woman was a stranger to the judge, but we are the children of God, and God cares for His children (Luke 11:13). The widow had no access to the judge, but God’s children have an open access into His presence, and we can come at any time to get any help we need (Eph. 2:18; 3:12; Heb. 4:14–16; 10:19–22).

The woman had no friend at court to help get her case heard. All she could do was walk around outside the tent and make a nuisance of herself as she shouted at the judge. But when Christian believers pray, they have in heaven a Saviour who is Advocate (1 John 2:1) and High Priest (Heb. 2:17–18), who constantly represents them before the throne of God.

When we pray, we can open the Word and claim the many promises of God, but the widow had no promises that she could claim as she tried to convince the judge to hear her case. We not only have God’s unfailing promises, but we also have the Holy Spirit, who assists us in our praying (Rom. 8:26–27).

Perhaps the greatest contrast is that the widow came to a court of law, but God’s children come to a throne of grace (Heb. 4:14–16). She pled out of her poverty, but we have all of God’s riches available to us to meet our every need (Phil. 4:19). The point is clear: if we fail to pray, our condition spiritually will be just like that of the poor widow. That alone should encourage us to pray!

The judge is contrasted to the Father (vv. 6–8). Unless you see that Jesus is pointing out this contrast, you will get the idea that God must be “argued” or “bribed” into answering prayer! God is not like this judge; for God is a loving Father, who is attentive to our every cry, generous in His gifts, concerned about our needs, and ready to answer when we call. The only reason the judge helped the widow was because he was afraid, she would “weary” him, which literally means, ruin his reputation. God answers prayer for His glory and for our good, and He is not vexed when we come.

How, then, do we explain delays in answers to prayer, especially when Jesus said that God would “avenge [give them justice] speedily”? (Luke 18:8) Remember that God’s delays are not the delays of inactivity but of preparation. God is always answering prayer, otherwise Romans 8:28 could not be in the Bible. God works in all things at all times, causing all things to work together to accomplish His purposes. The moment we send Him a request that is in His will (see 1 John 5:14–15), God begins to work. We may not see it now, but one day the answer will come.

The question in Luke 18:8 ties in with what Jesus taught in Luke 17:22–37: “Shall He find [that kind of] faith on the earth?” The end times will not be days of great faith. Eight people were saved in Noah’s day, and only four out of Sodom (and one of them perished on the way). Passages like 1 Timothy 4 and 2 Timothy 3 paint a dark picture of the last days.

We are given many passages about Deluded Pharisee’s (Luke 18:9–17)

Throughout His public ministry, Jesus exposed the self-righteousness and unbelief of the Pharisees (see Luke 11:39–54). He pictured them as debtors too bankrupt to pay what they owed God (Luke 7:40–50), guests fighting for the best seats (Luke 14:7–14), and sons proud of their obedience but unconcerned about the needs of others (Luke 15:25–32). The sad thing is that the Pharisees were completely deluded and thought they were right, and Jesus was wrong. This is illustrated in this parable.

The Pharisee was deluded about prayer, for he prayed and told God (and anybody else listening) how good he was. The Pharisees used prayer as a means of getting public recognition and not as a spiritual exercise to glorify God (Matt. 6:5; 23:14).

He was deluded about himself, for he thought he was accepted by God because of what he did or what he did not do. The Jews were required to fast only once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29), but he fasted twice a week. He tithed everything that came into his possession, even the tiny herbs from his garden (Matt. 23:23).

He was deluded about the publican who was also in the temple praying. The Pharisee thought that the publican was a great sinner, but the publican went home justified by God while the proud Pharisee went home only self-satisfied. To be “justified” means to be declared righteous by God on the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross (Rom. 3:19–4:25).

The publican repeatedly beat his breast, for he knew where his greatest problem was, and he called to God for mercy. The publican knew the enormity of his sins, but the Pharisee was blissfully ignorant of his own heart. The Pharisee’s pride condemned him, but the publican’s humble faith saved him (see Luke 14:11 and Isa. 57:15). It is the prodigal son and elder brother over again (Luke 15:11ff).

In contrast to the proud Pharisee are the children who were brought to Jesus (Luke 18:15–17). It was customary for the Jews to bring little children to the rabbis to receive their special blessing, so it is strange that the disciples would stand in the way. Perhaps they thought Jesus was weary and needed rest, or they may have decided that He was not really interested in children. How wrong they were!

However, this was not the first time the disciples had attempted to “get rid of” people. They wanted to send the crowd away hungry, but Jesus fed them (Matt. 14:15ff); and they tried to stop the Canaanite woman from asking Jesus to heal her daughter (Matt. 15:21ff), but Jesus answered her prayer. The Twelve did not yet have the compassion of their Master, but it would come in time.

Jesus wants us to be childlike but not childish. An unspoiled child illustrates humility, faith, and dependence. A child has a sense of wonder that makes life exciting. The only way to enter God’s kingdom is to become like a child and be born again (John 3). If the proud Pharisee had become like a child, he too would have gone home justified

Can you think of any people who are like the unjust judge in the parable? How would you respond to the setbacks experienced by the woman? Where would you find the confidence to carry on?

I have two quotes about prayer: ‘Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference’ (Max Lucado). ‘True prayer is a way of life, not just for use in cases of emergency. Make it a habit, and when the need arises you will be in practice’ (Billy Graham). How do you respond to these statements in the light of the passage from Jesus’ parable of the unjust judge?

And how do we persist in prayer?

Prayer is the work of the church, collectively and individually. Whether silent, extemporary, liturgical, or in any other form, prayer is a channel for our relationship with God. If prayer appears to go unanswered, if it seems like God doesn’t always rescue us, or if we don’t know how to pray about the big difficult questions then how can we address these issues? Can we pray about how to pray? We should! And we can certainly meet together to share our difficulties with each other and offer support and guidance through conversation and Bible study.

Whether it is climate change, the state of the economy, changes in society, violent conflict, or personal burdens, these are all issues that concern God. How persistent are we in sharing these concerns with God? We live in a culture that expects a quick fix to small problems and we can mistakenly carry that attitude over to the weightier matters. On TV shows we see a house refurbished in a day, a person made famous overnight – no preparation or hard work required, apparently. But the church’s work of prayer is not about the quick fix; it is about laying foundations that will last.

Hymn 18: Be still and know that I am God

Offering

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION

Lord, thank you that you are our place of help. Where others fail us and circumstances change, you remain and you are unchanging. Your love supports us, underpinning us with a strength beyond ourselves. We praise you for your passion for justice, for your kindness towards your people. We thank you that you call us to a life-giving existence, that we may give and receive in your name, learning your ways and caring for your world. Amen.

Lord, we bring before you a world in need of justice.

We pray for those suffering due to wars and conflicts around the world, for innocent lives lost,

We hear so many voices clamouring to be heard – the poor, the sick, the bereaved, the ill-treated

and we ask that you hear their pleas. help us to discern those to which we might respond.

We pray that there will be shelter for the homeless, healthcare for the sick, aid for the poor, loving concern for the bereaved,

and hope – hope of kingdom values being established here and now amid the tangled webs of our mixed motives and the world

We bring to now people we know who are in need of you love and support………

Help us, Lord, to be part of the answer to our own prayers. Amen.

Hymn 503: Love divine all love excelling

BLESSING

Lord our God, you promise to stay awake, you protect us, you hear all of our prayers, you want us to keep talking to you. You are God of everything and we look up to you. Bless us as we trust in you. Send us out to live and work and pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen.