Keep On Praying

Bottom line

Jesus teaches us to be persistent in prayer because our Father loves to answer our prayers

Opening Line

What happens when a child becomes fixated on something?

Introduction

It becomes all they talk about, right? If there is a toy that they absolutely must have, they will talk about how much they need this toy and bring it up at the most inopportune times. When a child wants something, they don’t care what you’re doing, they are going to bring it up. How many moms have had a child yelling through the door about some show they watched or toy they absolutely must have?

However, when it comes to the persistence, it also becomes a gauge of just how much the child actually wants something. How many days have they been talking about it? Has their desire for this thing died out after a day or two? Are you still hearing about it a week, a month, 6 months later? Chances are the longer their persistence endures, the more likely you are to discuss the request or even grant it.

Main Point

I believe that this is the reason that Jesus calls you to pray with persistence. The persistence with which you pray for something can actually be an indicator of how much you want or care about something. Do you come out of the gate, praying fervently and passionately, only for the desire to die out before lunch, or are you still praying about it years later? Even with praying about something for a long time; have you been praying consistently for all those years, or do you just come across it on a list occasionally and pray out of compulsion?

Why it matters

This is just one of a few layers of why Jesus calls us to pray with persistence. This morning we are going to dive into Luke 11 and unpack Jesus’ continued lesson about prayer. As you practice perseverance, you will actually begin to learn something about yourself along the way.

Scripture

Luke 11:1–4 NLT

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.”

blank

Luke 11 picks up with Jesus having some personal prayer time. One of the things we know is that Jesus made a habit of starting his day in prayer. The disciples were clearing picking up on this, as they come up to Jesus and ask him to teach them.

So Jesus teaches them this prayer. One commentator pointed out that this teaching moment probably happened after Sermon on the Mount. The significance of that fact is that Jesus actually makes the prayer simpler. Something that happens as you spend more time with Jesus is that he makes faith simpler. It is completely contrary to how the world and other religions work. Most things become more complex the longer you do them. When it comes to faith in Christ, you may grow in knowledge, but you also grow to realize that Jesus really wants to connect with you and it is often you that creates the barriers and not God.

Jesus continues to teach his disciples.

Luke 11:5–8 NLT

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

blank

Let’s unpack the story a bit. You have company arrive at midnight. Chances are that if people are arriving at that hour, they’ve been traveling for a while and looking for snack. In the midst of getting ready for their arrival, it slipped your mind to go grab some groceries.

How many people are actually knocking on someone’s door at midnight looking to borrow some food? Anyone else just telling your guests to wait until morning when everything opens up? Why? Why would you rather make your guest wait then knock on the door of a friend? Because it would be so humiliating! It would require a level of shamelessness and humility that no one would willingly submit themselves too.

But as you look at the story, you begin to realize that the host takes it to another level of shamelessness. Not only does he knock on the door, he continues to knock until he gets what he came for. It is one thing to knock the first time, but to just keep pounding on the door until someone responds, that’s just embarrassing. Plus, you never know what kind of response you are going to get. If you knock on my door after midnight, you may get a grumpy Matt. Mostly because your knocking woke up Michelle, which led to me being woke up to see what that noise was.

Prayer requires the same level of humility. How often do you pray about something as a last resort? Maybe it is a difficult situation at work, or strain in your marriage. You will try to sort it out on your own, maybe consult with friends. When nothing else works and you have run out of options, then you turn to prayer. Instead of starting with humility, you wait until you’ve been humbled.

On top of that, often you will not persist in prayer because you believe that if God really cared about this issue, he would have answered by now. Or on the flip side, I should only have to ask once to get the results I asked about. It is actually a very proud attitude to have before God.

Persistence starts with humility.

Luke 11:9–10 NLT

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

blank

On the flip side, Jesus tells this story to remind us of God’s attitude towards us. At this point in Israel’s history, the hospitality of a guest fell on the whole community, not just the individual. The sleeping man would have been expected to get up or he would have been shamed for not helping out. The man got up simply to save face. In contrast, your heavenly Father never sleeps, and he never sees your requests as an inconvenience. He loves you and desires to answer your prayers, not begrudgingly but willingly.

So keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. Don’t stop praying until something happens. Maybe God speaks, maybe something changes, but keep on praying. Press on.

But keep on doesn’t just apply to a singular request. Your prayer life should not surmise with, “God answered my prayer that one time.” Keep on asking means keep on asking about more things. Keep on seeking more answers, more gifts. Paul tells us to seek the greater gifts. Keep on knocking on more doors. As much as your faith and trust grow when one prayer is answered, how much more will it grow with each additional answered request. So keep on, don’t stop.

Jesus ends with this. Luke 11:11-13

Luke 11:11–13 NLT

“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

blank

What is wrong with giving a child a snake? It will potentially hurt them, right? Same with a scorpion. No loving parent would intentionally give their child something that would harm them. Our job as parents is to guide and protect our kids.

What is the one thing that every single person on earth has in common? We all have a sin nature. Despite this limitation, good parents still do what is best for their kids.

So what would a heavenly Father who is perfectly good, perfect in knowledge, and perfect in power do when his children ask for something? He would do what is best for them. In the same way, as parents, you can sometimes see the bigger picture better then your kids, God sees the bigger picture better then anyone. So even though what you are asking for is good and in alignment with God’s word, doesn’t mean it is what is best for you now or in the long run.

It is also a good reminder that when it comes to gifts, as a disciple of Jesus you already have the best gift; the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the seal of your salvation, the source of perfect knowledge and character. You could spend a lifetime unpacking just how good the single gift is in your life.

Transition to Application

There is an underlying theme here that can’t be missed. Persistence requires time. When it comes to our kids relentlessly asking for something, it is really just your kids communicating with you their passions and desires. They are inviting you to share in their excitement.

The same applies to persistence with God. What you discover is that what you really desired wasn’t the object of your prayer, but more time with your heavenly Father. You just want to know His heart more. When you are trying to persevere in prayer and notice you are struggling to, it is opportunity to invite God to change your heart.

Main To Do

So how do you grow in persistence in your prayer life? Well there’s lots of opportunity. As a church, we have 6 goals that you are invited to pray into all year long.

You are also invited to pick a couple things that you would like to see answered this year. What is one or two things you would like to see God move in this year? What would it look like to pray for it all year long?

Why it matters

Growing in persistence will deepen your relationship with God, and you will begin to gain God’s perspective of things. Your heart will come in alignment with His heart, and you will begin to trust God’s process more and more. The increased persistence will also help your relationships. Instead of taking people for granted, you will be more committed to persevere in deepening your connection. You will persevere in showing grace when it is tempting to give up because the humility you’ve grown in will seek to love the other person instead of receiving love.

Closing Line

"Know this: your Father delights in your persistence, and He will answer. Pray on."

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

How can we identify the areas in our lives where we need to be more persistent in prayer?

What is something you can commit to pray for all year long? Who is going to keep you accountable?

In what ways can you share your passions and prayer requests with others to foster a supportive prayer community?