Why Pray?

Our Problem With Prayer

Our Problem With Prayer

Martin Luther once wrote that out of difficult experiences emerge true Christians. This parable is as much as about suffering as it is about prayer. Or to put it another way, it is about how and why we must persevere in prayer because of our great need of God’s grace in our Lord Jesus.

Now when a Christian suffers, there is certainly the temptation to despair, to withdraw into yourself, withdraw from the world and even to look within. Discouragement, losing heart in the midst of our trials: that is our problem with prayer.

But that is not our only problem with prayer. I remember how the great theologian Tevye (aside: You remember The Fiddler on the Roof?) responded to his friend Perchik when Perchik tells him, “Money is the world’s curse.”, and he answered, “May the Lord smite me with it! And may I never recover!”

You see, not only suffering, but also riches may impede our prayer. Comfort and ease in Zion are not always the blessing that they might seem at first. You the trial hurts and weighs us down, but at least we feel our need and may be inclined by the trial to lift our eyes to heaven and cry out for relief. But when there’s no felt need? When we don’t feel the constant breaking of affliction? Prayer too is often absent.

In both cases, whether in hardship or in ease, we have a problem with prayer. And honestly, that problem isn’t so much about circumstances. Here, Jesus knows his disciples are headed for great suffering, such suffering as could certainly bring a man into profound despair. Perhaps you’ve been there too. But to the rich, the Psalmist Asaf and the apostle James both has quite a bit to say too. James say (Js. 5:1).

English Standard Version Chapter 5

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

Now, can you see that from the Bible’s perspective, riches and poverty are alike afflictions. And both can impede our prayer. But remember what our favorite Baptist, Charles Spurgeon, said,

God himself cannot deliver a person who is not in trouble… Even Jesus Christ, the Healer of men, cannot heal a person who is not sick.

More to say about this later.

But that is not our real problem with prayer, is it? Because it is possible to be hard pressed by poverty, illness, age, and a myriad other hardships and still be men and women of prayer. And it is still possible to be healthy, wealthy and enjoy general peace and prosperity and be men and women of prayer. It all depends on one key factor: faith.

Lack of prayer indicates a very serious spiritual condition. Unbelief. Now, I am not saying that those who do not pray as we should are unbelievers. What I am saying is that those of us who do not pray as we ought are beset by the terrible sin of unbelief: unbelief in God’s Word, his promises, his character. And worse yet, prayerlessness is a symptom of rebellious self-reliance, and the belief that we can do it ourselves.

So let us summarize. Our problem with prayer, whether in the trail or in peace is unbelief and rebellious pride in our ability, faith, not in God, but in ourselves.

This is our problem with prayer.

Our Encouragement in Prayer

Now the Lord tells his disciples a parable and the purpose of the parable is not hard to discern. He tells us this parable so that “they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (aside: the word “to lose heart, also has the connotation of losing enthusiasm for something”).

Now here, I will summarize the parable for you.

Parable Summary

The problem that the widow has.

The reasons the judge won’t budge: He’s out for himself; he wants a bribe; he needs a little encouragement. But this widow has none of that. She is the defenseless in society seeking justice, seeking what only this judge can give her. But he is unwilling,

The judges fear: The judge does not want to beaten down by this widow. The word itself means to give someone a black eye. I do wonder whether this judge was also concerned about the bad press that a persistent and vocal widow may have given him in public. (The program in Costa Rica “Los Perros de Traba).

But he finally relents. Why?

How does this parable encourage us to pray?

Now we have come to the crux interpretum of the text. For those of you who abhor a Latin phrase of two, what this means is that verses 6 and 7 are the most important verses for understanding this parable and what Jesus wants us to know about prayer.

First, verse six:

English Standard Version Chapter 18

6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.

Now pay close attention to what Jesus doesn’t say. He doesn’t say: “Hey, look at what this widow does! Look at how persistent she is, how she keeps going back at all obstacles and against all odds persists until she get the answer to her request. Go, therefore, and do likewise. This is NOT what he says.

What is says turns all of our expectations on their head. He says, “Hear (or, Pay attention to) what the Unrighteous judge says. Now, what in the world would Jesus want us to pay attention to what such a blatant SOB has to to say? Perhaps it surprises us (and perhaps the disciples too) because we know this parable traditionally as the Parable of the Persistent Widow and we have all heard sermons that say:

Look at what this widow does! This is how we ought to prayer! In the face of every obstacle, dont’ give up, keep praying. Don’t grow weary, because in due time, the Lord will answer you. See what the widow does? Go, therefore, and do likewise! Be like the widow. (or if you will, we could change the hymn, “Dare to be a Daniel” to “Dare to be a Widow”).

But this is clearly NOT what Jesus is doing. If you think about it, those preachers that do that actually compare the widow with us and the judge, favorably, with God. But this is NOT what Jesus does. Jesus contrasts the judge with our heavenly Father.

We are not to look to the widow for instruction, but to the judge, because this parable is not about the widow, nor about us, but about GOD.

You see, Jesus encourages his disciples with this contrast: If the judge who is ungodly and unrighteous, who fears no and no god, gives earthly justice to this widow, how much more will your Father who loves you not give you justice when you cry out to him day and night?

You see, our great encouragement in prayer is this: God is faithful. And praise God that the widow is not our example in prayer. If Jesus encouraged us to prayer on the basis of the widow, we would be terribly discouraged and demoralized. How many of us can say today that we are always consistent in prayer? How many of us never give up? How many of us are great rocks of faithfulness? Oh, brothers, thank God it doesn’t depend on OUR persistence or OUR faithfulness, because if it did, there would be no hope or encouragement in prayer at all.

Here is our encouragement in prayer. Our heavenly Father is nothing like the unrighteous judge. The ground of our hope is not our many prayers nor our great persistence (althrough we should persist), but rather, our gracious heavenly Father, “who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not also with him give us all things?”

One last problem with prayer

One last comment on our problem and our encouragement.

Apart from everything we have said up to this point, there remains one sticking point. And that is that although we may pray and hope in the goodness of our Father, it is still easy to get discouraged and lag behind in prayer because God just doesn’t seem to answer our prayers and often many of you believe that God might not even be hearing you. He hears others, but does he hear me?

The last part of verse 7 says, “Will he delay long over them?” And the question seems to expect a negative answer, “No!”. And we seem to think this because Jesus says “he will give them justice speedily”. But there are two problems here.

The first is that this is clearly contrary to our experience! Let’s now be dishonest. What Jesus says simply doesn’t fit with our experience in life.

Second, and most importantly, this is NOT what Jesus said. I am convinced from my analysis of the Greek text that there are NOT two question here, but only ONE. I could go into all the technical reasons why this phrase gets translated as a question and why I am convinced that it isn’t. But that would be bore you to sleep (if you’re interested, see me afterwards). But the fact is, Jesus isn’t asking a question here. He is making a statement.

The statement he makes seems on the surface cotradictory. What he says is this:

English Standard Version Chapter 18

And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? zWill he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.

And will not God give justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night, though he delays long over them?

You see, Jesus both confirms our problem of experience and gives us hope at the same time. But Jesus answer can only be received by faith, which is the ground of prayer anyway.

You see, Jesus here. Not only affirms our experience and experience, which seems contradictory, or contrary to the Word of God. But he does so in order to encourage us to walk by faith and not by sight. Because God does not always answer prayers speedily. And this is the truth. Jesus says, even though he delays long over you. That is, do you believe God and His promises, even if God doesn't answer your prayers, right away, or even if he takes a long time to give you justice.

That is the question Jesus is posing because prayer is not about the multitude of words. Prayer is not about my great persistence. Prayer is NOT about ME! My great tenacity, my inner strength to keep plowing through all the obstacles of life. Prayer is about faith in God, who has made promises and covenanted with his people. Prayer is about faith in the God who gave his son for us, a sacrifice once for all upon the cross, because He loved us. That is what prayer is about. That is why Jesus asked this question, and will not the Father, give justice to his elect speedily. Although he delays long over.

Now the word speedily or quickly. Could be understood in terms of short duration of time or all at once, that when the father finally decides to give justice sides to bring justice, he does so, and he does so quickly. Or of course Jesus could be referring to the fact that the father's time is not ours. And that we are called to patient endurance.

We live in the fast food culture that wants everything now. But God isn't in the customer service business, and God isn't selling a product. God is the eternal Creator of all things, who is worthy of our worship our love, our faith or trust our obedience. And here he calls us to such.

An Exhortation about Prayer

Now, we come to the final point which is very brief, and that point is this. Jesus exhorts us already rather we might say here that Jesus exhorts us to serious inner reflection. He asks us this question. When the Son of Man returns will He find faith on Earth was. It's a question when Jesus returns will He find faith on the earth. And he's not talking about the unbelieving world. He's talking about his church.

He wants to know if his church will be waiting and praying, whether they're suffering, or whether they're at ease. Will we be praying. And this brings us back full circle. When our culture begins to persecute us, what will be our response. Will we protest. Will we march in the streets. Or will we be those who love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, and seek the face of our Heavenly Father.

Even in spite of our personal trials and struggles. The question that remains to us is will we allow our ease to make a self confident. Will we allow our wealth or poverty, peace or trials to keep us from seeking the face of our father, because you see here is a truth.

Even in spite of our personal trials and struggles. The question that remains to us is will we allow our ease to make a self confident. Will we allow our, he is to keep us from seeking the face of our father, because you see here is a truth. We need Jesus at every moment in our life, whether in affliction, or at peace. As much as we need him at any other time when we're at peace. We need him just as much as when we're in trial, and we're in trial, we need him just as much as when we are in peace and prosperity. There is no time that we need Jesus less. And the true Christian knows that. And when the true Christian forgets that he needs to be reminded of it. Now brothers and sisters. The question is before you. When the Son of Man returns, and he will return quickly will He find faith on Earth, will he find us a praying church. Unexpected church, awaiting church, a church. Holy casting ourselves upon him. And all of our cares upon Him, because He loves us. This is our encouragement in prayer, that we may not grow weary and lose heart. Whether it is, or whether in affliction. Let us pray.

We need Jesus at every moment in our life, whether in affliction, or at peace. As much as we need him at any other time when we're at peace. We need him just as much as when we're in trial, and we're in trial, we need him just as much as when we are in peace and prosperity. There is no time that we need Jesus less. And the true Christian knows that. And when the true Christian forgets that he needs to be reminded of it. Now brothers and sisters. The question is before you. When the Son of Man returns, and he will return quickly will He find faith on Earth, will he find us a praying church. Unexpected church, awaiting church, a church. Holy casting ourselves upon him. And all of our cares upon Him, because He loves us. This is our encouragement in prayer, that we may not grow weary and lose heart. Whether it is, or whether in affliction. Let us pray.