Persevere with Prayer

Title:   Persevere with Prayer By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Luke 11:5-8  5 And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves,  6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him';  7 and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'?  8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.

INTRODUCTION: My dear friends in Christ,  a number of years ago a man was arrested in Ohio because He stood in a public telephone booth for two hours, dialing and dialing and dialing and dialing, desperately trying to call up God.  People said that he was abnormal, berserk, crazy, demented, a fool; and they hurried him off to an insane asylum.  But what that man was doing in his demented state, you and I -- in our right minds – are asked to do in this text.  We’re supposed to dial God’s number again and again and again and again.  Sometimes, though, prayer may seem crazy to us too; like an exercise in futility.  But calling on God is not futile – far from it.  But knowing some basics can help remove this feeling of futility.

I. First we need to know who we are calling.  Have you ever gotten one of those calls where the caller says, “Who’s this?”  I always answer, “Who did you call.”  If you call someone you really need to know who you are calling.  We need to know God to call Him in prayer.  Knowing Him removes futility we may feel when we pray.

A.  Prayer is helped when we understand the awesomeness of God

1. In prayer we are talking to the all-powerful Creator of the universe.  He is the source of every good thing.  He made everything and He continues to own everything.

a. On one hand we should have a strong element of awe or reverence or maybe even fear when we talk to God.  b. But on the other hand knowing the scope of our God can be a great help in prayer.  With Him nothing is impossible.

2. Our God is not in any way a small God.  He is not a God who is too small to bother.  Like this: Bill Keane, who draws the popular Family Circus cartoons, portrays a father who is fast asleep on the living room couch, his back facing outward and his face buried in the pillows. Anticipating being bothered by his little boy, this father has cleverly pinned a paper sign across his back that reads, "Go ask Mommy." The little tyke, unable to read, does just what his dad hopes he won't do: he tugs and tugs at his dad's shirt, asking the question, "What does that sign say, Daddy? Daddy?"  God is not like a tired father not wishing to be disturbed.  He never says, “Go ask Mommie.”

3. And also God is not an impersonal God.  He’s not just a force. a. He is a personal being.  He is someone you can talk to, especially when you consider the fact that Jesus is a man like us.  b. He is not some unreachable god.  He is personally concerned for each of us.

B.  And also we need to know that God is totally holy.  He has no sin and cannot abide sin.  Nothing sinful can come into His presence.  This affects our relationship with God in two ways connected to prayer.

1. First this is why God sometimes seems to be distant.

a. Because of His holiness He hides Himself to protect us.  If we come to Him in our sin we will be destroyed. b. But even though He is hidden He has revealed Himself in special ways that are safe for us.  Knowing God means that we know the safe ways in which He has revealed Himself to us-- In Jesus, In the Word and in the Sacraments.

2.  Second, His holiness means whenever we ask for things that He would consider sinful the answer is going to be “no.”

a. It does no good to ask God for things that will be used in sin or things connected to sin even if we don’t realize it.  b. God loves us and will not give us something that will harm us.  He will not give us a snake or a scorpion.

II. Next we need to have a correct picture of ourselves.  When you call someone on the phone you should know who you are.  You should know the relationship you have with the person you called.  This same thing is necessary when we pray.

A. The best picture of us would probably be a totally unworthy beggar standing before the highest king.

1. In other words we have no right to ask for anything.  On our own we have no relationship with this awesome God.  2.  Our hands are empty, we have nothing to offer God.  WE have nothing to bargain with before God.  So prayer is never an exercise in bargaining between us and God.

B. Nevertheless God invites us to pray to Him.  Jesus instructs us to call God “Father” implying a relationship that is above and beyond a beggar.  How can this be?

1. Our relationship has been established with God through Jesus.  Here we see another aspect of our God – His love.

a. In love God sent Jesus to live a perfect life for us.   b. He went to the cross voluntarily.  There He paid for our sin.  He took all the sin ever committed upon Himself.  He died on that cross.  He rose from the dead.  All this is done out of God’s love for us.

2. Now what Jesus has done is brought to us in Word and Sacrament.  Through these means God’s love is brought to us.  Through these means we are brought to believe what Jesus did was for us.

a. Now in Christ – because of His perfection – because He paid for our sin – we now have a relationship with God.  b. Now in Christ we can call Him Father too.  Now instead of a beggar we are loved children.  Anything a son or daughter can ask a loving father we can ask of our Father in heaven.

III. Now we know a bit about whom we call in prayer; we know who we are in relationship to the one we call upon; and now we need to know what we are to say.

A. The emphasis in this text is on the Father.  It is about how He is the giver of all good things.

1. And when you look at the text carefully you see that most of it is concerning what we would call spiritual things.  So we are to pray for spiritual things first.

a. For example: His name is hallowed only when the Spirit is in us therefore here we are praying for the Spirit to come into us more abundantly so His name would be hallowed in us also. b. His kingdom comes to us in word and Sacrament therefore we are praying for these spiritual gifts here too. c. Even the daily bread has a spiritual element too.  Jesus is the Bread of life, sustaining our faith. And the Lord’s Supper is bread sustaining faith too. d. Forgiveness is the Spirit in action in us.  First He gives us forgiveness then He moves us to live that forgiveness. e. Avoiding “Temptation” is the Spirit’s work in us to keep us from succumbing to the devil’s wiles.  This whole prayer is about keeping us in the one true faith – about receiving the Father’s spiritual gifts.  So we are to pray most about spiritual things.

2.   When we keep spiritual things in mind it removes much of the futility of prayer, because God delights in giving these good gifts. When we spend a lot of time praying for spiritual things our growth is enhanced and we see the results of His actions more clearly.

B.  And Yes we can pray for and about everyday things too.  God invites and encourages us to do so.  The term “Daily bread” makes this clear.

1. But once we have considered who we are talking to, our relationship to Him, and about all the spiritual things we have been given, how we pray for the everyday things changes.

a. They become less and less selfish.  More and more directed away from our wants to the needs of others.  b. Like this: I asked God to take away my pride, and God said no. He said it was not for him to take away, but He will move me to give it up.  I asked God to make my handicapped child whole, and God said, "No, her spirit is already whole. Her body is only temporary."  I asked God to grant me patience, and God said no. He said that patience is the byproduct of tribulation. It isn't granted; it's earned.  I asked God to give me happiness; God said no. He said he gives blessings; happiness is up to me.  I asked God to spare me pain, and God said no. He said some pain would come as He prunes me in order to make me fruitful.  I asked God if he loved me, and God said yes. He said He gave me his only Son who died for me, and I will be in heaven some day because I believe.  I asked God to help me love others as much as he loves me, and God said, "Ahhh, finally! Now you have the idea."

2. So God invites us to pray and encourages us to persevere in our prayers.  Maybe we can see it humorously like this: Paul Harvey told about a 3-year-old boy who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered she had certain instructions for the little tike: "Now you’re not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask."  She put him in the child's seat and off they went up and down the aisles. He was doing just fine until they came to the cookie section. Seeing the chocolate chip cookies he said, “Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies?” She said, “I told you not even to ask. You’re not going to get any at all.”  They continued down the aisles, but in their search for certain items she had to back track and they ended up in the cookie aisle again. “Mom, can I please have some chocolate chip cookies?” She said, “I told you that you can’t have any. Now sit down and be quiet.” Finally, they arrived at the checkout. The little boy sensed that the end was in sight, that this might be his last chance. He stood up on the seat and shouted in his loudest voice, “In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?” Everyone in the checkout lanes laughed and applauded. Do you think the little boy got his cookies? You bet! The other shoppers moved by his daring pooled their resources. The little boy and his mother left with 23 boxes of chocolate chip cookies. When we pray we are to persevere, but maybe not quite like that boy.

CONCLUSION: Prayer is a mysterious wonder.  To an unbeliever it is crazy – as crazy as that man calling God on the phone.  And even to many Christians it seems futile at times.  But when we understand who we are talking to, when we know about our relationship to Him and when we know what we are to pray for all that futility evaporates.  Prayer becomes a powerful tool for us all.  Amen