Prayer

Don’t Stop Praying!

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 
Luke 18:1 NIV

God knows that some days we feel like giving up on prayer. Maybe we think that there are bigger problems in the world or that God isn’t interested. Yet, instead of just lecturing us, Jesus tells us a story about a widow and a judge. This widow wasn’t politically connected, or rich and she had an someone harassing her. We aren’t told exactly the issue: only that the one person she could turn to for help was a corrupt judge. Yet she didn’t give up, run away, or complain to her neighbors. Instead, every morning she walked down to the judge’s house. I can just picture him looking out his window, as he heard her knock, muttering, “Oh no! Not her again!”

Maybe she was driving him crazy, but all she really wanted was for him to do his job. Finally, the judge threw up his hands, and said something like, “All right! I’ll do it! Just please leave me alone!” Then, Jesus reminds us that God is not even a little bit like that judge. God wants to hear our prayers. God loves us, wants the best for us, and since He is so good, we should never give up. God is listening, and if we keep on praying and believing, we can trust that one day He is sure to answer!

“I have abandoned all particular forms of devotion, all prayer techniques. My only prayer practice is attention. I carry on a habitual, silent, and secret conversation with God that fills me with overwhelming joy.” 
Brother Lawrence

God Has Time For You!

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Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they 
do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. 
Luke 23:34 KJV

During the long hours of the suffering of Jesus, He hung from nails driven through His hands and feet. Blood streamed down His face from the thorns that pierced His scalp. No one expected Him to do more than simply endure., but Jesus was busy with an amazing number of things. He was busy, not because He hoped to gain anything, but because He was moved by compassion for those around Him. During those six hours, Jesus promised the repentant thief who was dying next to Him a place in paradise and made sure that Mary would be cared for by His disciple John. Even in His agony, Jesus showed the world the power of the love of God, so much so that after He died, one of the soldiers who had crucified Him, came to believe that He was the Son of God. But of all the things Jesus did, none mattered more than His final prayer “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!”, and that prayer is still being answered today. If we are angry with the sight of children starving in war torn villages while dictators plan the next attack from their headquarters, remember that there is an even greater power than their guns and bombs. There exists today a stronger force far stronger than fear and hatred. When Jesus bowed His head and died, both friend and foe thought He was finished. But ever since His final breath escaped, the power of His forgiveness has been transforming our world, one sinner at a time!

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An Unforgettable Prayer

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And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”  Matthew 26:39 ESV

This prayer of Jesus was etched into the minds of His disciples, like none other He had prayed. At an earlier time, when the disciples had seen Jesus praying, they asked, “Lord teach us to pray.” But this prayer was not like that one. This midnight prayer left them so overwhelmed by sorrow, that they fell asleep. They had never seen Jesus like this. They were used to Him commanding the wind and waves or casting out demons. But at this moment it almost seemed as if Jesus was afraid. His words were so unforgettable that three of the four gospels repeat them. His words seemed shocking, “If it is possible, let this cup pass.”  It sounded like such a hopeless prayer. They must have wondered how that could be? Didn’t Jesus have enough faith? Had He done something wrong? NO, not for a moment! But the answer to His cry lay hidden even from Him for that moment. Hidden behind the suffering, shame, betrayal, and mocking was the miracle of our redemption. The Father would remove the cup from His hand, but not until He after had drunk from it for us all. When Jesus accepted that cup in Gethsemane, and drained it of its poison, He made it possible for it to be filled it with the new wine of salvation that is still running over with eternal life for you and me!

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