[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 19th of May, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church. Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Put simply, prayer is our channel of communication with God. Of course, it’s much more than that, but in practice, it is that time we spend communicating with God. In prayer we talk to God, and if done correctly, we listen for His answer. Sometimes that answer isn’t immediate, though. Sometimes we have to wait. But that doesn’t mean we stop praying.
There are a couple of times while Jesus walked this earth that He stressed how important it is for us to be persistent in our prayers. It is only through persistence that we can even hope to accomplish a difficult task, because if we quit, the task will never get done. And it is through persistence in seeking God’s ways, His will, His ear, that our prayers will be answered.
Let me relate to you one parable Jesus shared with the people regarding persistence. Listen and follow along to what the Apostle Luke recorded in his Gospel account, chapter 11, verses 5 through 10, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
There are a couple of times while Jesus walked this earth that He stressed how important it is for us to be persistent in our prayers. It is only through persistence that we can even hope to accomplish a difficult task, because if we quit, the task will never get done. And it is through persistence in seeking God’s ways, His will, His ear, that our prayers will be answered.
Let me relate to you one parable Jesus shared with the people regarding persistence. Listen and follow along to what the Apostle Luke recorded in his Gospel account, chapter 11, verses 5 through 10, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many 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.”
--Luke 11:5-10 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Father God, You bless us in so many ways, and chief among Your blessings is Your word and Your promise as saved for us in our Holy Bibles. Thank You, Father, for giving Your word. Thank You for showing us the importance of prayer, of continual prayer. Please help us to be persistent in our efforts to serve You. Help us to keep asking, to keep seeking, to keep knocking. Forgive us, please Father, when we don’t trust in Your provision enough to step out in our faith. Now speak to us this morning, Father, that we may hear and better understand Your message this day. This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son Jesus. Amen.
An elderly lady was once asked by a young man who had grown weary in the fight, whether he ought to give up the struggle. "I am beaten every time," he said dolefully. "I feel I must give up." "Did you ever notice," she replied, smiling into the troubled face before her, "that when the Lord told the discouraged fishermen to cast their nets again, it was right in the same old spot where they had been fishing all night and had caught nothing?"
I’ve often heard it said that one definition of “insanity” is to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Well, that definition doesn’t take divine intervention into account, does it? Jesus can still make things happen when we follow His voice.
Yes, this life can be a fight, a day-to-day struggle. And yes, sometimes it seems like insanity when we keep trying to do good but see our efforts seemingly wasted or too often thwarted. But as long as we are doing what Jesus says, our efforts will be rewarded. Be persistent – keep casting that net.
In our scripture reading, Jesus says that the neighbor will finally get out of bed to help his friend not because of their friendship, but so that the annoyance will stop and he can get back to sleep. That’s pretty typical human nature. If something bugs us enough, we’ll finally do whatever it takes for it to stop. The squeaky wheel gets the grease not because it needs lubrication but because that high-pitched squeal is driving us crazy!
Jesus gave another example of this nature in a parable a little further on in Luke’s Gospel account. This one comes from chapter 18, verses 1 through 8…
In this case, the judge, whom Jesus calls “unjust”, is tired of the widow’s persistent demands for justice. So he finally gives in and grants her request. And as the unjust judge rewarded the widow’s persistence, our just God will reward our persistent cries to Him, our prayers to Him.
But notice that at the end of this passage, Jesus asks a very pointed question. “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” When Jesus returns, will there be any truly faithful left on earth? Will there be any left in America?
God rewards persistent faithfulness, as Jesus pointed out in those two passages in Luke’s Gospel, but He also punishes persistent faithlessness. Listen to what God spoke through His prophet Ezekiel, in chapter 14, verses 12 through 14 of that book…
Now, understand that even though the earth is also under the curse brought on by the sin of Adam, God is not talking about a stretch of land sinning against Him. He means the people of that land. When the people sin against Him by persistent unfaithfulness, He will act against them. This is persistence of disobedience. And don’t we see that way too often across this great land of ours, with people persistently disobeying God?
But family, even here, even in the face of persistent faithlessness, God will forgive us and heal us, and our land, if we just return to Him and follow His ways. Hear what God said through His servant Ezra as recorded in 2nd Chronicles, chapter 7, verses 13 and 14…
Even when God does the things He said through Ezekiel that He’d do, we still have a chance of redemption if we just return to Him, seek Him, humble ourselves and pray to Him, turn our persistent faithlessness back into persistence of faith. Then He will hear us, forgive us of our sins, and heal our land.
God still intervenes, still works miracles... we just need to keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, we know we cannot see ahead like You can. We don’t see the fullness of Your plan for Your creation. So we don’t always understand why our prayers aren’t immediately answered. Thank You, Father, for hearing us and for working on our behalf. Thank you for rewarding our persistence and our faithfulness. Please forgive us when we grow impatient, when we have doubts. Forgive us when we begin to question the truth of Your word. Forgive us when we fail to trust in Your provision and Your love. Please help us to remain ever faithful and to be persistent in our prayers.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, praying from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…
Lord Jesus, more than once You told us how important it is to be persistent in our prayers to our Father God. Sometimes we do things just out of a sense of duty, or from set routines. When that happens, we tend to take whatever it is we’re doing for granted. This is just as true in our prayer life as any other activity. You know that when we are persistent in our prayers, we are paying more attention to what we are asking for. Please help us be persistent in our times talking with God. Help us to keep on asking for His help, to keep seeking His ways in our life, to keep having faith no matter the situation or circumstance.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord, our Master, our Savior. Amen.
An elderly lady was once asked by a young man who had grown weary in the fight, whether he ought to give up the struggle. "I am beaten every time," he said dolefully. "I feel I must give up." "Did you ever notice," she replied, smiling into the troubled face before her, "that when the Lord told the discouraged fishermen to cast their nets again, it was right in the same old spot where they had been fishing all night and had caught nothing?"
I’ve often heard it said that one definition of “insanity” is to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Well, that definition doesn’t take divine intervention into account, does it? Jesus can still make things happen when we follow His voice.
Yes, this life can be a fight, a day-to-day struggle. And yes, sometimes it seems like insanity when we keep trying to do good but see our efforts seemingly wasted or too often thwarted. But as long as we are doing what Jesus says, our efforts will be rewarded. Be persistent – keep casting that net.
In our scripture reading, Jesus says that the neighbor will finally get out of bed to help his friend not because of their friendship, but so that the annoyance will stop and he can get back to sleep. That’s pretty typical human nature. If something bugs us enough, we’ll finally do whatever it takes for it to stop. The squeaky wheel gets the grease not because it needs lubrication but because that high-pitched squeal is driving us crazy!
Jesus gave another example of this nature in a parable a little further on in Luke’s Gospel account. This one comes from chapter 18, verses 1 through 8…
1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor respect man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will vindicate her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”
6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
--Luke 18:1-8 (NKJV)
But notice that at the end of this passage, Jesus asks a very pointed question. “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” When Jesus returns, will there be any truly faithful left on earth? Will there be any left in America?
God rewards persistent faithfulness, as Jesus pointed out in those two passages in Luke’s Gospel, but He also punishes persistent faithlessness. Listen to what God spoke through His prophet Ezekiel, in chapter 14, verses 12 through 14 of that book…
12 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: 13 “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. 14 Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord God.
--Ezekiel 14:12-14 (NKJV)
But family, even here, even in the face of persistent faithlessness, God will forgive us and heal us, and our land, if we just return to Him and follow His ways. Hear what God said through His servant Ezra as recorded in 2nd Chronicles, chapter 7, verses 13 and 14…
13 “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
--2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (NKJV)
God still intervenes, still works miracles... we just need to keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, we know we cannot see ahead like You can. We don’t see the fullness of Your plan for Your creation. So we don’t always understand why our prayers aren’t immediately answered. Thank You, Father, for hearing us and for working on our behalf. Thank you for rewarding our persistence and our faithfulness. Please forgive us when we grow impatient, when we have doubts. Forgive us when we begin to question the truth of Your word. Forgive us when we fail to trust in Your provision and Your love. Please help us to remain ever faithful and to be persistent in our prayers.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, praying from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…
Lord Jesus, more than once You told us how important it is to be persistent in our prayers to our Father God. Sometimes we do things just out of a sense of duty, or from set routines. When that happens, we tend to take whatever it is we’re doing for granted. This is just as true in our prayer life as any other activity. You know that when we are persistent in our prayers, we are paying more attention to what we are asking for. Please help us be persistent in our times talking with God. Help us to keep on asking for His help, to keep seeking His ways in our life, to keep having faith no matter the situation or circumstance.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord, our Master, our Savior. Amen.
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