Sister Karen Wednesday Evening 1/14/15

Sister Karen Wednesday Evening 1/14/15

Every time we pray there is a blessing, either encouragement or stirring, we don’t know how we will be blessed when we pray.  To neglect prayer is to miss a blessing. 

Luk 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

One of the definitions of faint is to be exhausted.  There are times when we are praying for a burden that we are almost exhausted with the burden.  “Lord I don’t know how to pray, or what to say; it seems I’ve prayed every way.”  Keep praying, don’t faint.

Luk 18:2  Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

Luk 18:3  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

Luk 18:4  And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

Luk 18:5  Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

She kept coming even though the judge may have even favored the adversary at times. 

Luk 18:6  And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

Luk 18:7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

He spake a parable:  one of the reasons that Jesus taught in parables was so that those that were hungry would seek out a deeper meaning and those that were just religious would pass over it.  We want to dig deeper.  “What did He mean when he gave this parable?”

God will avenge them speedily.  We want to keep praying until we receive justice and satisfaction.  We want to keep bringing our case before God until we have been satisfied with the answer.

Lu 11 he was praying in a certain place

He was a good example.  The other morning I must not have gotten up early enough to get my prayer made before my grandson got around.  He came and asked what I was doing.  When I told him, he said, “Oh okay.”  And went out.

Luk 11:1  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Luk 11:2  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Luk 11:3  Give us day by day our daily bread.

Luk 11:4  And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

How many times have you just tried to just worship.  It is amazing to me how quick my mind goes to request.  It is important to adore and just worship Him.  “Hallowed be thy name.”

Luk 11:5  And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

Luk 11:6  For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

Luk 11:7  And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

Luk 11:8  I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

Luk 11:9  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

It didn’t stop at ask.  Sometimes we have to go past asking.  Often we do. 

Luk 11:10  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

These are promises! 

Luk 11:11  If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

Luk 11:12  Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

Who with a father’s heart would do that? 

Luk 11:13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Importunity means shamelessness.  The knocker had no shame.  He was desperate and it didn’t matter with him if the neighbor was in bed.  “I don’t have anything to give and I know that my neighbor does.”  He was there knocking without shame.

Examples of importuning:

Abraham for Lot:  Lot was not deserving; he chose the best for himself when he had the opportunity.  He chose the well watered ground and he pitched his tent toward Sodom.  Soon he was in Sodom.  Abraham would not give up until he got God to promise that He would spare lot.  Remember Abraham’s importunity for Lot when we are exhausted with a certain request.

Jacob would not let the angel go until he gave him a blessing. 

Moses stood before God for the saving of the whole of Israel.  He had been up getting the Ten Commandments and came down and saw they were involved in idolatry.  He got before God and interceded for all the children of Israel.

When Moses, Nehemiah, Esther, Samuel, Ezra, and others prayed for their people they included themselves, “We have sinned. Please remember us.”  When we pray for our nation we will make a difference.

The Syrophenician woman: the disciples tried to brush her off.  She wouldn’t give up.  She brought her request for her daughter to Jesus and He said “the bread is for the children.”  She said, “Truth Lord, but the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table.” She wouldn’t give up.

Jesus prayed, “If it be possible, let this cup pass.”  The cup didn’t pass.  He had to go through the battle.

Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we:  he was like us, he wasn’t an angel or supernatural, he was flesh just like us.  He first prayed that it would not rain.  It didn’t rain.  He got the attention of Jezebel and the king.  He then prayed that it did rain.  He didn’t get the answer with the first prayer.  He prayed seven times.

Sister Gunner said, “It is always too soon to quit praying.”