There is Power in Prayer
Part 1
And He spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought to always pray, and not to faint.
Luke 18:1
The Business of Prayer
Many of us consider prayer to be a Church ritual or some liturgical exercise that we have a duty to perform. In doing this, we miss the joy of praying to our Heavenly Father. If prayer is a ritual that “ought to be performed” then what happens when a crisis occurs? If prayer depends on a certain assembly of other believers and the presence of a spiritual leader, what happens when the needs and demands call for immediate action? While there is certainly nothing wrong with ceremonial prayers, the business of prayer focuses on God who hears prayer and people who know that God answers. The business of prayer is an active role that believers should take in asking God to manifest His Kingdom Power in a world filled with brokenness, pain, and disaster. The business of prayer, whether in ceremony or in crisis, is a strong reminder that we desperately need God.
In introducing believers to the importance of constant prayer, Dr. Luke shared a parable that Jesus taught on this topic. Rather than waiting to add the emphasis of why we should pray, Luke makes note of this prior to the parable. In doing so, we are able to see the greater emphasis on why our petitions are important to us as well as being important to God. Prayer is one of the most critical exercises that a believer can engage in apart from worship. We worship and praise God because we love Him and seek to honor Him with songs and meditations on His Goodness. We pray so that we may acknowledge our dependence on God for everything. Both are critical to the believer’s spiritual growth and development.
So why is this spiritual exercise so important? According to this verse, Jesus emphasized three priorities in praying to God. There is the urgency of prayer, the consistency of prayer, and the sufficiency of prayer. Men ought always to pray. There should not be a delay when calling upon God. What would hinder us from calling on God when we know that we need God? The urgency of prayer is often delayed when we first tell ourselves that we can handle the crisis. Rather than turning to God immediately, there is a delay because of our own selfish need to show our strength. When failure becomes evident, then we turn to God. Luke reminds us that we should pray first. Not only do we fail to call God because we depend on our own strength, but we also have the terrible habit of asking advice from others. We should realize that some people we ask don’t care. We should know that people have their own problems. We should also consider that they are humans just like us and probably can do very little if anything about our need. Why do we do that when we have our God who is waiting to hear our request? Prayer is urgent, not just because of the need but because God loves to hear from you.
James Weldon Johnson, in his poem The Creation, speaks of God being lonely and set out to create the world and ultimately to make humans in His own likeness. If God were lonely as Johnson suggests, don’t you think that our Father would love to hear from us? Call upon the Lord and He will hear thee and show you great and mighty things that you know not. Jeremiah 33:3. It is urgent that you talk with God.
Luke also emphasizes the consistency in prayer. We should always pray. Not only is it urgent that we call on the Lord, but it is also necessary to be consistent in prayer. Now would be a good time to ask, how often do you really pray? I thought I was doing fairly well in my prayer life until I read this verse. Believers should always pray. Always? Yes, they should always pray. Which means, the business of prayer is also an issue of time management and life management. In case you are thinking that this is some isolated suggestion, there are other verses that say the same thing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17, pray without ceasing. James 5:13, Is any among you afflicted? Let them pray. The Apostle Peter tells us to cast all our care upon Him; for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7. Consistency in Prayer means that we are to be in constant contact with Almighty God. We should never lose our connection with the Heavenly Father and we should always be sending and receiving messages from God through the powerful means of prayer.
Let me ask a very critical question. How much do you depend on your Wi-Fi connection? Many need it for their job. Some need it for medical purposes. Others need it to stay in touch with family and friends. Well, then think of prayer as your Heavenly connection that must be maintained. God’s line is always clear. If there is any problem with the communication, it will always be on our end.
Dr. Luke also gives the third critical area of prayer and that is sufficiency. He spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought to always pray, and not to faint. This is based on the sufficiency of prayer. God does not want us to give up on prayer. Your praying is not in vain. God will hear your prayer but you must hold on. When you sincerely call on God and request an answer to a need or situation, God will come through. With that encouragement to not faint or give up, Luke shares the very powerful parable of the woman who would not stop appealing to the unjust judge for justice.
Making a Powerful Appeal
As Jesus spoke this parable of the widow who made her appeal to an unjust judge, our Lord was emphasizing the fact that God is listening not just to our request but is also listening to hear certain things in our life. Why was this woman such a great model in prayer? It was not due to her oratory ability. It was not based on her status in the community or the amount of wealth. The fact that this was a widow presenting her petition to the judge indicated that she was probably poor and vulnerable.
If we don’t get anything else from this message, we should come away with the understanding that prayer is more than the utterance of words and needs, it is an invitation from God for fellowship. There are four things about the widow that was important to prayer:
1. She recognized the threats. Understand Adversity, need to pray.
2. She knew the unjust judge had power to avenge. She understood the role of an Advocate, someone to pray to. The judge was not a good luck charm.
3. She knew the unjust judge would not turn her away. She knew she had Access.
4. She knew her prayers were heard. Affect. The judge had authority to change her outcome.
When making our appeal to God, we need to approach God with that same confidence that God will render judgement on our behalf. That first involves understanding the threats in life. You must admit that Adversity is very real. Two lessons are important to understanding this. Everybody is not your friend. The second lesson is that the world is not an easy place to live. In other words, life is impossible without God. People will fool you, hurt you, use you, and take from you. You desperately need God’s help. The widow recognized early on in her situation that she was powerless against her adversary. She came to the unjust judge and asked for help because the matter was beyond her control.
The Life Recovery Program that has worked for millions of people who suffered from addictions, life problems, and weaknesses was to admit one thing. We are powerless over this problem and we need God to help us. The woman was certain that she had a legitimate claim to justice and came to the unjust judge stating, Avenge me of my adversary. Luke 18:3. She needed justice. When you and I need God’s justice, we must state our case before the highest court of all. Your adversary might be financial distress. Your adversary may be a sickness. Your adversary could be anything that is threatening to destroy your life and for that reason, you must tell Jesus all of your need.
Here is where the parable gets strange. This was an unjust judge but the widow considered him to be an Advocate. We too have an Advocate, the Man – Christ Jesus. For sure this took some convincing to the judge because he did not fear God or man. Yet the widow kept coming to him every day and she wore him out with her petition. As my wife would say, “the squeaky wheel gets the oil.” Day in and day out she came with the same need and with the same words until the unjust judge said, “I will avenge her.” She did not change her position. Are we that persistent in our prayers?
We should recognize that God is not only a God of Justice, but also a God of Love. Get this. God is waiting to hear from you. He has commanded the Angels to be on the look out for your requests and to put through the rush order with the answer. Someone has said there are two things that cannot remain in Heaven at the same time: a sincere prayer and the answer to that prayer. Jesus said, “shall not God avenge His own?” Luke 18:7.
There is another element that must not be overlooked. The widow had Access to the unjust judge. Who gave her access? Evidently it was the judge who gave her the right to come into his court room. If the judge had shut the door or had her expelled from his court room, she would have been hopeless as well as helpless. But that never happened. The point that Jesus makes is that we have Access to God’s Court. We can come at anytime and with any need that is on our heart. Jesus was assuring us that we definitely have Access to our Heavenly Father. For that reason, we can come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain Mercy and find Grace to help in the time of need. Hebrews 4:16. Notice, the promise is that we will obtain Mercy. What does that mean? God’s judgement on my behalf will bring about His Mercy, His Forgiveness, and His Kindness to restore my soul. As if that were not enough, God also blesses us to find Grace. God will lavish not just gifts, but also His Amazing Grace. Please understand that through prayer, you and I have Access to God’s Court and He will grant Mercy and Grace in abundance.
We often speak of the Effect of Prayer but we must also consider the Affect of Prayer that God makes possible. Effectual Prayer is on our end. We must keep praying whether it is a good season or a bad season. Keep praying even when our feelings are trying to tell us that “its not working.” It is working. By the way, there is one difference between the believer and the widow. The widow represented herself. She did not have a court-appointed attorney. The believer has an Advocate with the Father. His Name is Jesus Christ. He specializes in appealing to the Father on your behalf. While you make the request in His Name, He is also petitioning the Father for you. If that were not good enough, there is also help from the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26, The Holy Spirit helps us when we pray because He makes intercession for us with groanings too deep for words. For that reason, we have confidence that our prayer is heard and that God will grant our petition. There truly is Power in Prayer because of the One Praying for us and the One Who is praying in us. So, by all means pray and call on the Lord your God.