Crying Out and Believing for the Impossible

Prayer

This morning we read:

Text: Luke 1:26-38 esp. Vs.37

Luke 1:37 (LSB) “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

I encouraged us to take our impossible situations to God in prayer.

We could pray just once, but that is not the picture Jesus gives us in a couple of places:

Luke 11:5-10

Luke 11:5–10 (LSB) Then He said to them, “Which of you has a friend and will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot rise up and give you anything.’ 8 “I tell you, even though he will not arise and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 “For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.

I like what the Fire Bible says:

God asks us to be persistent (vv. 5–8), not because He does not want to answer our requests,

but because it allows us to express our trust and dependence on Him,

which is the basis of powerful and effective faith.

Fire Bible: Ask … Seek … Knock.

Jesus encourages perseverance (i.e., “active patience,” determination) in prayer. The tense of the Greek verbs in both accounts (Luke 11 and Luke 18) carries the meaning of action that keeps going on.

The Discovery Bible says that this tense of verb, the Greek present imperative, commands what must happen again-and-again (repeatedly) throughout the scenes of life.  In some contexts it orders believers to keep on persevering, progressing in God's grace over-and-over again in triumphant endurance.

This means we must keep on asking, keep on seeking and keep on knocking.

This does not mean that we need to beg God to answer our prayers.

Rather, it means that instead of worrying about a certain issue, we take it to God and acknowledge that the situation is in his hands.

Asking means that we recognize our need and that we trust God to hear our prayers.

Seeking means that our request is earnest and that we are willing to obey God and pursue His purposes when he responds with an answer or instruction.

Knocking means that we keep bringing the request to God even when he does not respond quickly.

Such “active patience” does not show a lack of faith, but rather a constant admission that we need God’s help and have turned over our needs to him.

Christ’s assurance that those who ask will receive from God is based on:

(1) keeping our priorities focused on God and seeking his kingdom purposes first (see 6:33, note);

(2) recognizing God’s fatherly goodness and love (6:8; 7:11; Jn 15:16; 16:23, 26f; Col 1:9–12);

(3) praying according to God’s will and keeping our desires in line with his (Mk 11:24; Jn 21:22; 1Jn 5:14);

(4) maintaining communication and friendship with Christ (Jn 15:7);

and

(5) obeying Christ

Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:1–8 (LSB) Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 “Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice from my opponent.’ 4 “And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice, lest by continually coming she wears me out.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 “Now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on the earth?”

Fire Bible: From this story, we learn several things:

(1) Prayer is our means of communicating our concerns to God; we must keep praying about all things until Jesus returns (vv. 7–8; Ro 12:12; Eph 6:18; Col 4:2; 1Th 5:17).

(2) In this life, we will face injustice (v. 3); our main adversary is Satan (1Pe 5:8). Prayer can protect us from the evil one (Mt 6:13).

As I read last Sunday morning: 1 John 3:8b (LSB) … The Son of God was manifested for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

(3) In our prayers, we should cry out against sin and injustice and ask God to demonstrate his perfect justice (v. 7). Our requests must be accompanied by a willingness to listen for God’s direction and to do what he tells us.

(4) Steadfast prayer shows our faith and trust in God (see v. 8, note).

(5) In the final days before Christ’s return, there will be increased satanic and demonic opposition to the prayers of God’s faithful people (1Ti 4:1), meaning that they must resist the urge to quit praying. Because of Satan’s schemes and the pleasures of the world, many will give up a persistent prayer life (8:14; Mt 13:22; Mk 4:19).

I Kings 18:41-44

Finally, in 1 Kings 18:41–44 (LSB) Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the tumult of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he stretched himself down toward the ground and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his young man, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times. 44 Now it happened at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the rain does not stop you.’”

I believe that God wants us to persist in prayer until the answer comes.