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Always Pray
Presented by Daniel Keeran, MSW
Scripture Reading:
Luke 18:1-14 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they
should always pray and not give up. He said: In a certain town there was a judge
who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow
in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, Grant me justice against my
adversary. For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, Even though
I dont fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps
bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she wont eventually come
and attack me! And the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will
not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and
night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice,
and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the
earth?
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on
everyone else, Jesus told this parable: Two men went up to the temple to pray,
one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and
prayed: God, I thank you that I am not like other peoplerobbers, evildoers,
adulterersor even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of
all I get. But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to
heaven, but beat his breast and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I tell you
that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all
those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble
themselves will be exalted.
Always Pray
The purpose of the message today is to encourage you to pray. If there is anything
you question or if you think differently about anything I say, I invite you to talk
with me after the service. I am not inspired as the apostles were, and I think its
healthy to discuss the things of God as a way of deepening our faith and
understanding of Gods will for our lives.
In the reading about the parable of the persistent widow, Jesus teaches us to pray
persistently and not give up... in this case, it is for justice and for fairness in a
court situation.
Intercessory Prayer
Intercessory prayer is when we pray for each other. When someone is on your
heart and you are worried about them, maybe a son or daughter or a friend or
family member who may be ill or in some kind of trouble or lost in their poor
choices, you pray constantly, often throughout the day, every day for weeks and
maybe months and even years. This is called intercessory prayer and its in the
Bible.
Romans 1:9-10 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son,
is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I
pray that now at last by Gods will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends
greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all
the will of God, mature and fully assured.
Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and
requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lords
people.
As we think about intercessory prayer, here is Pauls intercessory prayer for the
Ephesian Christians:
Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole
family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious
riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being
rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to
grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know
this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all
the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all
we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be
glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and
ever! Amen.
This is Pauls intercessory prayer for the Colossian Christians:
Colossians 1:9-12 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not
stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will
through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that
you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing
fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened
with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great
endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has
qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not
know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through
wordless groans.
Matthew 6:8 ...your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
God does not always give us what we pray for because God knows what is best
for us.
Luke 5:16 ... Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
We have seen how the early church was devoted to praying together, and when
we look at Jesus who although he was the eternal divine Son of God, we see that
he often privately and personally used prayer to talk to God.
Acknowledge and thank God for all he has done: creating the universe, blessing us
constantly with good things, sending Jesus, forgiving our sins, always be present,
always caring for us, for the hope of the resurrection and of eternal life. Here is a
beautiful example of praise and adoration in prayer.
Jude 1:24-25 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and
will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All
glory to him who alone is God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory,
majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and
beyond all time!
My understanding is that the sacrifice of praise and prayer is with the lips spoken
or sung, and I think this is because of what the Bible says in Hebrews 13:15
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praisethe
fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
Acts 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,
and the other prisoners were listening to them.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any doubleedged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it
judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
God says: I love you. I fogive you. I hear your prayers. I care for you in your
suffering. I am always here for you.
John 14:23 Jesus replied, Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My
Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with
them.
Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive
to their cry.
James 4:2-3 You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do
not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you
get on your pleasures.
So when you make any request to God, pray that it will be given only if it glorifies
God and serves His purpose.
Francis of Assisi in the 1200s, wrote this prayer that wasnt actually published
until 1912. The prayer reflects his desire to be used by God for his purpose:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow
love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is
despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O
Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to
be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we
receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born
to Eternal Life.
And finally I want to close with the intercessory prayer of our Lord.
John 17: 22-23 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he looked up to
heaven and said, "Father...I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all
who will ever believe in me because of their testimony. My prayer for all of them
is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father--that just as you are in
me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are -- I in
them and you in me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that
you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me
(v.22-23).
Lets join our prayer with Jesus prayer:
Lord we are amazed that you who created the universe and hold it together,
would hear our feeble prayers. We pray for the unity of all who sincerely try to
follow Jesus, so that the world will see the love and unity among us and turn to
you for salvation. Lord we pray that the words spoken today will remain in the
hearts of all who heard so that we will gain strength from drawing near to you in
constant prayer. Thank you for your constant presence and unfailing love. In
Jesus name we pray, amen.