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Apr 22, 2018

Pray Hard

Luke 18:1-8
Draw the Circle – Part 3 – Pray Hard

April 22, 2018 ~ Luke 18:1-8; Luke 11:5-10

 Introduction

Have you ever been transferred around on the phone and taken an eternity getting to the right person, in the right department, with the authority to address your need, concern or complaint?  Persisting through that kind of experience can teach us about prayer.


Luke 18:1–8 (NIV84)

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 about men. 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 about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ “

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?

Luke 11:5–10 (NIV84)

5 Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’

7 “Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

          This morning, I am talking about “praying hard.” Those of us who have been in a church a long time may be familiar with the phrase praying through. That’s what I’m talking about this morning.

          I’m going to share 8 ideas to help us understand the idea of praying hard. I’ll start with two negative statement and then move to six positive statements.


Praying hard

  1. Praying hard does not mean working to get God’s attention.
    1. You already have his attention.
    2. He already knows your needs before you pray about them.
    3. Why should I pray, then?
      I don’t totally understand this, but there are some things God has only chosen to do in response to prayer.
  2. Praying hard does not mean everything will always work out our way.
    1. Remember, God is not a genie in a bottle.
    2. He doesn’t magically appear to give us our wishes.

          Prayer is a habit to be cultivated, a discipline to be developed, and a skill to be practiced.[1] And sometimes, praying is hard. Let’s talk about that.

Praying hard

  1. Allowing prayer to be a dialogue instead of a monologue.
    1. We know our parts and we need to allow God his parts.
    2. In prayer, He speaks to us…
      1. Through Scripture – this is the primary means.
      2. Through promptings and impressions from the Holy Spirit.
    3. Waiting for God to change situations and hearts instead of taking things into my own hands.
    4. Understanding that God’s ultimate objective is his glory, not my comfort.
      1. Many of our prayers are selfish. We want what we want when we want it, how we want it.
      2. It doesn’t work that way.
      3. God’s is concerned about his glory because he’s narcissistic; he’s concerned about his glory because he wants as many people as possible to come to a saving faith in Christ.
    5. Acknowledging that praying hard is often accompanied by working
      1. When God speaks through his word or prompts us to do something, we need to do it. There is no need to ask for blessing if we’re not willing to obey.
      2. 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24
    6. Accepting that sometimes the answer to prayer is no.
      1. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Cor. 12:8-9)
      2. What do you think that “but” means? It means God said no.
      3. The question is, how do we respond when God says no.
    7. Trusting God to fight our battles for us.
      1. A long time ago, I pastored a different church for three years. Half way through our time there, some folks in the church decided it was time for me to go so they called for a special business meeting to force me out. This had been done before. As I listened to people talk at the meeting, I began to take notes so I could go out in a blaze of glory so to speak.
      2. But God spoke to my heart. “Like a lamb before his shearers is dumb, he didn’t open his mouth.” It was clear that God was telling me to remain silent.
      3. They didn’t win.
      4. God fought the battle for me…and I wasn’t even prepared for it. I had resigned myself to my fate.

Conclusion

This week, I encourage you to pray hard. Take the sermon notes to pray with you. Write the points in your journal. Review them before you pray and after you pray.


[1] Batterson, The Circle Maker, p. 86

Series Information

This series is based on Mark Batterson's book, Draw the Circe: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge. 

We are embarking on a 40-day journey to develop the habit of prayer that will continue on day 41 and beyond.