Pray and Never Give Up – 7

Pray and Never Give Up – 7

Subject – Pray Hard

By Rick Welborne

Luke 18:1-8 (NLT)
¹  One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.
²  “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people.
³  A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’
⁴  The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people,
⁵  but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
⁶  Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge.
⁷  Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
⁸  I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” 

--As we continue to look at the walls around us that need to fall and as we continue to pray for those seemingly impossible situations…God is getting ready to give us great testimonies.

--Last time we looked at this: --Here is the question God asks: Is the LORD’s power limited? The obvious answer is ‘no’! God is omnipotent which by definition means there is nothing God cannot do.

--If you are lost, if you are bound, if you are struggling with addiction, if your marriage is falling apart…allow the resurrection power of Jesus give life and freedom to your situation.

--Today we are going to look at something we know as Christians but have chosen for whatever reason not to do and that is that we must “Pray Hard!” Let’s look at the persistent widow.

Mark Batterson: It shows us what praying hard looks like: knocking until your knuckles are raw, crying out until your voice is lost, pleading until your tears run dry. Praying hard is praying through. And if you pray through, God will come through. But it will be God’s will, God’s way.

--The phrase that is used by the judge “she is wearing me out” is boxing terminology. It is going twelve rounds with God…it is a wrestling with the Angel of the Lord until He blesses you!

--Boxing or wrestling with God can sound really foolish and can be very tiring to the human body but it is exactly how we can win our biggest battles…how we see the in-penetrable walls come crashing down.

--Praying hard is more than just words…it is blood, sweat, and tears. Praying hard is two dimensional: praying like it depends on God, and working like it depends on you. It is praying until God answers.

--Crucial question: How important is it that the walls come down that you are praying for…is it a soul? Is it a lost son or daughter? Is it a bad report from a doctor? Is it life or death?

--Desperate times call for desperate measures and there is nothing more desperate than praying hard. Lord, I am not going to let you go until You bless me! I must have an answer to my prayer!

--There comes a moment when you have to throw caution to the wind and you just go for it…you pray for the impossible and you hang on like you have a tiger by the tail. Pray for the impossible!

--Sometimes we have to stir up every measure of faith that God has given us and step out there and call rain down from heaven even when it hasn’t rained for over 3 ½ years! For this persistent widow…this was it!

1. The persistent widow was not going to take no for an answer.

--We do not know what injustice took place but it was something that she was so passionate about that she was not going to just let it go. 

--Maybe her son was falsely imprisoned or the person who had done her family wrong was still on the streets but she was not going to take no for an answer. She would circle the judge’s house until she died.

--One of our problems as followers of Christ is that we allow the enemy to accuse us night and day and make us feel that we are not worthy to come to God and expect anything. We know this verse:

Romans 8:1 (NKJV)
¹  There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 

--How many of you know that if we would have to wait until we were perfect before we asked God for anything, we could never ask. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.

--As we look at Jacob in the Old Testament, we see that he was anything but perfect. Jacob meant sup planter, deceiver. He and his mom conspired to steal Esau’s birthright as the firstborn son.

Easton’s Dictionary - The birthright secured to him who possessed it (1) superior rank in his family (2) a double portion of the paternal inheritance; (3) the priestly office in the family; and (4) the promise of the Seed in which all nations of the earth were to be blessed.

--After Jacob deceived his father Isaac and stole his brother’s birthright he soon became aware of his guilt for what he had done and also feared what his brother Esau would do to him…what’s your point, Pastor?

--Jacob was a jerk but he was a jerk who was trying to make things right…he goes to Esau with his herds and family to acquire forgiveness and to repent of his wrong…God saw his heart.

--Just maybe you have been a jerk but you are a jerk who is trying to get things right with God and with people. Don’t forfeit what God is wanting to do in you because of your fear or pride. Jacob wrestling with the angel.

Genesis 32:26-28 (NKJV)
²⁶  And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"
²⁷  So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob."
²⁸  And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed."

--Jacob wrestled with a Man (Pre-incarnate Christ). Sounds like the widow and the judge. In both of the stories who had the power and authority? The judge and Christ!

--Why did Jacob win and why did the widow win…was it because they had more power? Of course not! It was because they were not going to take no for an answer. It was because Christ wanted them to win!

--I will not let you go until you bless me…get ready…get ready…maybe your name is about to change…go from being Jacob to being Israel the Apple of God’s Eye. From widow to being named Justice!

--Verse 30 I believe holds such a strong key for us. "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."

Maybe it is time for you to have a face to face with God and get your blessing.

2. The widow was desperate.

--How desperate are you for your miracle? Desperate enough to pray all night? How many times are you willing to pray for the promise or your dream? Will you do it until the day you die?

--How long and how hard will you knock on the door of opportunity? Will you keep knocking until you knock the door down? If you are not desperate you will not pray desperate prayers.

Matthew 7:7-11 (NKJV)
⁷  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
⁸  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
⁹  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
¹⁰  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
¹¹  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

--You have to pray with such passion and desperation that it is obvious that the miracle depends on what God does. You have to pray hard like the persistent widow…like Jacob. 

--When you pray with such extreme intensity God will honor your bold prayers because your bold prayers honor God. Our boldness does not offend God but our lack of passion does. Pray hard!

--People who pray circles around their dreams can be a little unorthodox…the widow could have waited for a court date…Jacob didn’t have to grab the Man and wrestle with Him.

--The widow almost sounded like she needed a restraining order put on her because she was going to the personal residence of the judge…sometimes we need to storm heaven. Jesus cares less about protocol.

--If Jesus wanted to work the system, He would have chosen Pharisees instead of fisherman, He would not have a prostitute interrupt a party to pour perfume on Him, He wouldn’t have a tax collector climb a tree. 

--Jesus honored the four friends who cut a hole in the roof to let down their friend in the presence of Jesus…He honored all these people because they were desperate to get into His presence. He honors the widow!

--The common denominator in each of these stories is holy desperation. People took desperate measures to get to Jesus. Nothing has changed! God still honors those who will storm God’s throne room. 

3. Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit are surrounding you with prayer.

Psalm 32:7 (NKJV)
⁷  You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah 

Romans 8:34 (NIV)
³⁴ …Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Romans 8:26 (NCV)
²⁶  Also, the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain.

--Way before you got up this morning and long after you go to sleep tonight God will be circling you with songs of deliverance. He has been cycling you since you were born and will do so until you die.

--Think about this…God is praying hard for you to complete the work He started in you! Phil. 1:6