Prayer Part 7: Persistent Prayer

What is our intent? We want God to answer our prayers.

What is the obstacle? Time. A long time has elapsed since we prayed for something.

What is the plan? Persistent prayer

What is the result? Close with a climactic scene, what things will look like IF we follow the plan. You won’t loose heart. God will answer your prayer, change your prayer or change you.

Introduction:

I was in a meeting with Lillian Vernon and she was processing requests for money. Money was tight, and she was not even looking at the requests. She was marking them all “No.” She said to me. I’m not opposed to spending money. I want to know that the request is important. If it is really important the person will put the request through again or set up a meeting to discuss it and make a case for it. If they really need it, they won’t let be put off by one “No.”What is important enough to you that you won’t take “No” for an answer?

Transition:Let’s think about this in relationship to prayer.

Persistent prayer.

This message explores and answers the question, "Can we pray too much about the same thing?"

Luke 18:1–8 NIV

1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

The first verse in this parable tells why Jesus told this story.

Luke 18:1 NIV

1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Jesus knew His disciples, at some point in time, would be inclined to give up.

There are lots of reasons why we might lose hope. We live in an unjust world. People are randomly killing other people. Others in the lust for power will say anything to destroy their opposition. The entertainment industry promotes violence, sexual immorality and additive behavior as good. Legal decisions are being made that hurt the cause of Christ. Brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering persecution because of their faith.

Bottom line: Prayer is the alternative to giving up.

Don’t give up

1. The characters

A. An unjust judge Luke 18:2

He represents all of are unjust. This judge was unfit for his job. Do we think of God this way? Do we see God as fit to hear our requests?

B. A widow Luke 18:3

She represents you and me.

She was and we are helpless.

C. God the Father Luke 18:7

The unjust judge is not God, and if you feel he is, you need to hear what Jesus said. He is not in any way like the unjust judge. He the opposite of those who are unjust.

2. The problem

A. The widow suffered an injustice Luke 18:3

That is bad. It’s always bad when something happens unjustly to us.

B. The judge caused a second injustice. Luke 18:4

He wouldn’t give the widow justice.

Why not? It doesn’t say what her issue was or why the judge said no. Neither matter to this story. It’s not hard to imagine the possibilities. He may have been bribed. He was friends with the widow’s adversary. He didn’t think the widow was import. We want to know “Why?” but that isn’t part of this story.

3. The solution

A. The widow was persistent. Luke 18:3

She wouldn’t give up. She kept asking and asking. She was seeking justice not punishment for someone else.

B. The judge relented and gave her justice. Luke 18:5

It wasn’t to right a wrong, it was because she bothered him.

4. The moral

A. Prayer isn’t saying something or asking something to God once. Luke 18:1, 7

Asking more than once isn’t babbling. Some of us are concerned by Jesus’s statement

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” Matthew 6:7

The word babble implies either repeating yourself excessively or speaking with meaningless words.

B. God is a just judge. Luke 18:7

Do you think that God is unjust to you because He didn’t answer your prayer? What does the character of God teach us about prayer?

The single point is that if an unrighteous, secular judge will finally hear your appeals, how much more will your appeals be heard by your heavenly Father, who loves you and cares about you supremely. Larson, B., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1983). Luke (Vol. 26, p. 264). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc. cf.

C. God will give justice to His children who cry out day and night. Luke 18:7

If God says “No,” there is another reason why. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. This may have seemed like an injustice to Paul, but God had a reason for saying “No,” and Paul understood it.

5. Examples from Scripture

Luke 18:1-8 is specifically about praying for justice. There are other passages of Scripture that show us why we can confidently pray persistently.

A. The Lord’s prayer. Matthew 6:11

Matthew 6:11 NIV

11 Give us today our daily bread.

Give us this day. We are to pray for our needs each day!

B. Asking for wisdom James 1:5

God tells us to ask anytime we need it, and he won’t blame us for asking.

James 1:5 NIV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

C. God is okay with audacious requests Luke 11:5-8

Be bold in asking God for something we need now!

Luke 11:5–8 NIV

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

Will we believe God and put this into practice? It may take a while for our prayers to be answered. Quickly for God is not the same as quickly for us, yet He will always answer our prayers for justice.

Discussion questions:

What are some reasons why you have “given up” on a prayer request?

We all have experience in God not answering “quickly.” What does quickly mean in this context?

What is the most important lesson for you from this parable?