Prayer Ⅵ: Persistence in waiting

• Pastor: Justin Moore
• Location: Highridge Parker County

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 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? 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?”

— Luke 18:1-8 (NIV)

• Parables are stories to make a point
• Types of parables: comparing and contrasting.
• This is a contrasting parable.
• Be persistent and keep praying.
• In this parable the judge did not fear God and did not respect people.
• Point of parable: if an unjust and uncaring judge would do this for a widow, how much would a loving and caring God do for us?
• He wants to give us what we need and what we want.
• We will not always get what we want when we want. We have to be persistent.
• Even if you don’t hear an answer right away: keep praying and don’t give up
• Possible answers to prayer are: yes, no, not yet.
• We need to learn the difference between no and not yet.
• We don’t get all the things we want all the time (No loving father would do that!).
• Persistent prayer tests my priorities.
• He wants to hear from us and know what’s important to us.
• If you want to know what’s important to you, look at what’s consuming your thoughts.
• Worry won’t change anything, prayer changes everything.
• Prayer aligns our will with His.
• In the waiting period it is natural to get impatient
• As long as I’m on the move I’m good but it might take longer, I should have waited, etc.: example of driving in traffic and taking a “shortcut”.
• Make the decision how you’ll wait before you’re in it. Take heart, have courage, have no fear, trust in Jesus.

1. Trust His word

• Over 7k promises from God in the Bible
• We neglect instead of dive in

2. Trust that He is good

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

— Psalms 34:8 (NIV)

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

— Psalms 23:6 (NIV)

• Gods goodness is not circumstantial (it is the same in peaks and valleys)

3. Trust His timing

• Not our timing, but:
  • He’s never early or late.
  • He is right on time.
• Jesus as a teacher slows things down for us so we can actually learn what is best for both us and His kingdom.

4. Learn how to wait:

• Trusting your faith in Jesus is a very active thing.
• Focus on what you do have.
• Stay hopeful and ready even with no end in sight.
• Having to wait teaches you about yourself.
• The way to the promised land is through the wilderness.
• The waiting process is a period of growth and refinement.
• Impatients leads to Ishmael: creates pain and loss etc.
• Waiting leads to Isaac:

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

— Isaiah 64:4 (NIV)

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

— Matthew 7:7 (NIV)

• Continual action: keep on asking

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

— Matthew 18:1 (NIV)