The Persistent Widow

Ears to Hear, part 3, The Persistent Widow

Good morning, Church. Over the last few years, we’ve made a significant effort to grow in prayer here at Manchester. We’ve had seminars on prayer, we’ve gone through multiple Forty Days of Prayer, we’ve been using the Daily Scripture/Prayer Guide for about a year now, and we can point to specific ways the Holy Spirit has blessed us through this focus. But I imagine there are still some of us who struggle to pray.

When people are asked about the challenges of having a healthy prayer life, they often will say they don’t have enough time or that they don’t really know what to say or how to say it. However, even those who have a consistent prayer life can still find themselves struggling to pray. I’ve had times in my adult life when I started to lose the motivation to pray, and that happened when it seemed like God wasn’t giving me what I was praying for even though I was sure it was a good and righteous request. 

This morning, we’ll be learning from a parable of Jesus that Luke records in Luke 18:1-8, and Jesus was teaching that we “ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Lk 18:1b).  I hope that our time in the Word today will encourage us to take that lesson to heart and pray in ways that God accepts.  You might be surprised to learn that God accepts more from us in prayer than many people think.

Just because God hears, however, doesn’t mean that God will always respond in the way we think. And that’s the problem.  For us at least.  Part of the way we deal with that disappointment is to remember who we’re talking to.  Our God is always good, always right, and always just—except for when he’s gracious, which is even better.   

— Patrick Barber, preaching minister

Digging Deeper:

1. What might cause us to “lose heart” in our prayer life?
2. How do we know that it’s okay to talk to God about everything we’re thinking and feeling?
3. Should we ever give up on prayer?  If so, at what point do we stop asking for the same thing?
4. In Jesus’ parable recorded in Luke 18:1-8, he says God will give justice quickly to the elect.  How is that different than saying God will give us everything we ask for right when we want it?

Ears to Hear, 3, The Persistent Widow