Perseverance in Prayer
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.––Luke 18:1
Luke 18 is a parable about persistence in prayer without losing heart. We know that because the Bible tells us the meaning and application at the front of the prayer. The logic of the parable is simple: if the persistence of a very weak, forgotten person in society (widow) can convince a judge that doesn’t fear God or respect man to give her justice–– then how much more will our loving Father bring about justice for his children? The answer, of course, is so much more! God cares for his people and we are enticed to pray with persistence in so many places in the New Testament:
Pray without ceasing.––1 Thessalonians 5:17
You do not have, because you do not ask.––James 4:2
Be constant in prayer.––Romans 12:12
Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.––Ephesians 6:18
Those are just a few of the places we see it, and there are many more. Last week, I tried to encourage you in the letter and the sermon to give yourself to the word of God this year in a fresh way––read it, enjoy it, submit to it, and talk to others about it (REST). To memorize it with us. To let it work and have its way in your heart and life. To let it shape how you interact and speak to others. To let it be what satisfies you above the idols of comfort, control, and consequence.
This week I want to encourage you in this letter and on Sunday to pray. If reading the Bible is breathing in God’s word, prayer is breathing it back out as you talk to him. Asking him to realign and reorient our hearts around what is true, asking him to keep us through hardship and pain, and asking him for breakthroughs that would be for the good of his people and the glory of his Name.
As I write this, I’m reflecting with joy on the time we had doing this together last night at Abide. We prayed for things we pray for often, hard situations that are new and some we’ve prayed for before, we prayed over each other, sang over each other, and asked God for help together. I’m praying 2024 would be a year that we’d pray together and individually with persistence and not lose heart. May God be pleased to hear and to help however he sees fit. He is a good Father.
