Two Reasons to Always Pray

Luke 18:1 NLT

1 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.

upfront we are given the lesson:

always pray and never give up

always pray and do not lose heart

always pray and do not faint

The book of Thessalonians teaches it this way: pray without ceasing

which means “I pray continually throughout the day” as things come up

but it is also “keep a regular prayer life, a steady prayer life . . . don’t cease/stop your prayer routine, keep it going

keep it going in good times

keep it going in bad times

keep it going on weekdays

keep it going on weekends

keep it going during regular days

keep it going during holidays

keep it going when it seems God is listening

keep it going when it seems God is not listening

and then Jesus uses a story/parable to emphasize this, and we will look at two reaons to always pray

Luke 18:2 NLT

2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people.

This judge doesn’t care what anyone says or thinks, not even God . . . ungodly judge

Luke 18:3 NLT

3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’

a widow - one of the most helpless people in their Bible times because widows often became beggars.

There was no husband’s life insurance to life off of

no government assistance programs to fall back on

so by virtue of being a widow, she is already in bad situation

on top of that, She is in a legal dispute with an enemy and needs justice

certainly a decent judge will help this poor/helpless widow . . . but this judge does not help her, for the verse says she comes to him repeatedly asking for justice

Luke 18:4–5 NLT

4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 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!’ ”

And the judge doesn’t feel like being bothered and he ignores her for a long time

I don’t care if she is a widow

I don’t care if she needs help

I don’t care is she is right

I don’t have time for this

But because she keeps on bothering me about her situation

because she won’t let up

because she is wearing me out with constant asking . . .

I will help her, just to shut her up, because if I don’t, I know that she will be back tomorrow, and I can’t take it any more . . . it’s driving me crazy

Luke 18:6 NLT

6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge.

Jesus says we need learn from this:

So, let me ask you a question about your prayer life: Are you wearing God out with your prayers, or are your prayers a pleasant surprise to God?

Or when it comes to specific prayers, does God say, “Wow, you haven’t asked for that in a while”

For members of our church, many of us said we would go to God three times a day, set special time aside

thanking God, putting in prayer request, listening for his voice, reading scripture

How is that going?

Ask yourself, “Am I like this woman?

Can God say about you, “I know he/she prayed this morning, but they will be back this afternoon, and then they will be back tonight

I know they prayed today but they will be back praying tomorrow too . . . next week

would God say, “he/she will not give up”

If God cannot say that about you, you need to learn a lesson from this.

Luke 18:7 NLT

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?

“Even he” . . . This woman got help from a judge who didn’t even care about her

So here is our first why . . . why we should always pray and not be discouraged, why we should always pray and never give up:

We pray to a God that cares

if this woman got help from an unjust judged, who didn’t care, surely we can get help from a God that cares about his people

A Heavenly Father who cares about his children

1 Peter 5:7 says, casting all your cares upon him, for he cares for you

so don’t lose heart because God did not answer you the first few times you prayed, remember always pray because God cares for you

Our first “why” . . . .always pray and never give up because we pray to a God that cares

Then Jesus mentions God will surely give justice to his people who cry out to him day and night

Back to the judge. Why did he answer the widow’s requests?

was it because she was a poor, helpless widow?

was it because she really needed the help?

Was it because she was in the right?

was it because she had a good reputation?

No, it was because the widow wouldn’t leave him alone.

She was FAITHFUL in her asking

it was her FAITH that “if I keep asking, the judge will eventually help me”

The second reason for always praying and not giving up is that your faithfulness in prayer is an indicator OF your faith in God

let me say it this way, “your prayer life is a good measure of your overall faith in God”

much prayer, much faith

little prayer, little faith

and faith is so important . . . .

Hebrews 11:6 KJV 1900

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

God rewards those who diligently seek him, that means those who keep on seeking him

he rewards those who cry to him day and night

he rewards those who will be like this widow and not give up . . . because that’s what faith in God causes you to do

We often say, “Just pray” like it is an easy thing to do

but I have learned that a serious prayer life where you set aside multiple times each day to sincerely pray to God is hard . . . it’s real work.

In Colossians, Paul praised a man named Epaphras because he was always laboring fervently/earnestly… in prayers.

labor means work, and prayer is hard work, prayer is real work

it’s hard for men because our brains are like a train (they move in one direction with a lot of momentum, and it takes much effort to slow it down, and get if off of the daily grind track, and put it on prayer track, and get it revved back up going on the spiritual track)

it’s hard for women, because though their brains allow them to jump into prayer right away, their multi-tasking brains can also jump right out just as fast, and they have to put a lot of effort into staying on the prayer track

Prayer is hard work, and I haven’t even thrown in the other factors: finding a quiet space, finding the right time, the problems and obstacles of each day . . .that’s why if you don’t have faith, you will give up on prayer

let me reverse it and be positive: When you have faith, when you know God is listening, and you know God cares and answers prayers. . . you will find the time, find the space, and the problems and obstacles of each day can’t stop you from saying, “Father, I come again befoe your throne of grace, . . . help me, Father!” . . . .

“and if you don’t answer me, I’ll be back this afternoon, tonight, tommorow . . . back to my last sermon about Jacob, “I won’t let you go until you bless me!”

always pray because when you always pray it indicates to God that you have faith in Him

the next verse says

Luke 18:8 NLT

8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

those that cry out to God day and night, God WILL help them and the Bible says quickly.

And what’s the key?

What is God looking to find on the earth?

There it is, Faith

God knows how bad your situation is (the woman’s situation was bad), but that’s is not the main thing that moves him . . . there are plenty of people in bad situations

God knows how righteous your request is (the woman wanted justice) but even that is not the main thing that moves him . . . there are plenty of people with good prayer requests

What moves God, what he cannot find in plenty of people . . . is complete faith in Him

#1 - Always pray and never give up, because we pray to a God that cares

ever been frustrated by someone who needed help, and you would have been glad to help, but they didn’t try hard to reach you

I sent you an email, but I didn’t hear anything back

we say, “you should have sent me a text”

I sent you a text, but you didn’t respond

We’ll say, “you should have called me”

I called you, but you didn’t answer

“you should have called me again”

God cares! God is one of those that if you reach him, he WILL help . . . so always pray

#2 - Always pray and never give up because your prayer life is an indicator of your faith in God . . . it’s a faith thing!

Commercial: I thought we were to take our burdens to the Lord and leave them there?

So we pray about it and forget about it, right?

These speak more to people trying to take care of their own burdens/issues/problems instead of giving them to the Lord.

that’s speaking against the mindset of, “If God doesn’t take care of it right way, then I’ll take care of it.”

When the judge denied the woman, she didn’t try to handle matters on her own. She could have tried to get even with her enemy on her own, but instead she kept after the judge.

Judge, I need you to step in and fix this probem/situation/burden

and I will keep coming back to YOU, until you do something about it

that’s how we take our burdens to the Lord and leave it there.

I going to leave this burden on your doorstep, and if you don’t take it, I will be at your door tomorrow, knocking, “This burden is still out here”

Practical Application

Find 3, 5, 7 prayer requests where you feel like this widow woman:

bad situation, you’re helpless

it’s a good cause (in his will)

you just need God to step in.

Stand on this word: keeping praying about it, pray about those things like never before and don’t give up.

Salvation

This one prayer, you only have to ask one time

Save me!

And he will save you