In Ephesians 1:16 Paul says, “I have not stopped giving thanks for you remembering you in my prayers.” Similarly in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 he states this command, “Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Many of you joined in prayer for Logan Schaefer as he battled back from his serious wakeboard injury. The prayers were constant and they brought about a great victory. Let’s not forget what God can do as a result of our consistent prayers.
Here is Luke 18:1-18 from the NET Bible. Count how many words in the passage deal with frequency, urgency or persistency.
Then Jesus told them a parable to show them they should always pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people. There was also a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but later on he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor have regard for people, yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in the end she will wear me out by her unending pleas.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says! Won’t God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay long to help them? I tell you, he will give them justice speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Always. Kept coming. Bothering. Unending. Day and Night. Could these words be used to describe your prayer life? If not, why not? Busy? Lazy? Or is it that you don’t believe God is hearing your prayers? Remember the question Luke has for us, “Will Jesus find faith on the earth?” We should trust God enough to bother Him with our prayers. He will not always answer how we want Him too but all we need to remember is that He is God and we are not. Be a persistent widow today…and tomorrow…and the next.
