When you Pray – 2                                                                                               BFUMC Jan. 8, 2006

The Power of Persistence                                                                                    Luke 11:1-13

Introduction:

A. Introduction:

A.  I love inspiring stories – stories of people persisting against great odds

            1.  Thomas Edison was busy working in his lab at 2:00 am

• an assistant noticed that he was smiling
• ‘have you solved the problem?’
• ‘no, not at all, but now I can start over again, and I know one more thing that won’t work.’
• The power of persistence

            2.  Abraham Lincoln failed in business in 1831

• he was defeated for the legislature in 1832
• he was elected to the legislature in 1834
• he sweetheart died in 1835 – he had a nervous breakdown in 1836
• defeated for speaker in 1838, and as elector in 1840
• defeated for congress in 1843 but elected in 1846
• defeated again in 1848, defeated for Senate in 1850
• defeated for Vice President 1856 and for Senate again in 1858
• elected President of the USA in 1860
• the power of persistence

B.  Persistence is necessary for real success and accomplishment in social life

C.  Persistence is also necessary for real positive change in spiritual life as well

            1.  often hear the phrase, “Let go and let God.”

• can foster a fairly passive attitude toward divine realities
• Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God suffers violence and men of violence take it by force.”
• calls for an aggressive posture

            2.  The power of the postage stamp applies to prayer

• divine persistence – unfailing courage
• Jesus is saying, “don’t pray a 10 cent prayer and expect a thousand dollar answer.”

I.  Parable of Perseverance in Prayer – Luke 11:5-12

A.  Note its context – Right after the Lord’s Prayer

            1.  In Matthew – the LP is followed by admonition to forgiveness

            2.  Here, it is an admonition to pray with perseverance – postage stamp prayer

B.  Parable, Admonition and Analogy

            1.  Look at Parable itself (vs. 5-8) – two things stand out

• the fact that the friend went to a friend with his need
• because they were friends, he had the audacity to stand in the street and keep on asking
• “lend me” in Greek – deals with personal lending not business

            2.  Now, the friend in the house is, in the parable, comparable to God

• this homeowner won’t get up out of friendship but only to shut his neighbor up
• key word is anaideia which means – shameless persistence.
• The homeowner got out of bed and gave his neighbor what he had asked for only because the guy was shamelessly persistent
• is God someone who doesn’t want to help us – only will help when we persist shamelessly?
• but only helps to shut us up, so he can get back to sleep?

            3.  Rabbinic Logic – qal vahomer – one of Rabbi Hillel’s 13 principles

• if this is true, how much the more so is this true
• if we can agree that a neighbor will help a friend, esp. when asked persistently
• how much the more so would God help his very children – whom he loves to provide for
• another qal vachomer  – vs. 13 “if you do this, how much the more so . . . “

C.  This is followed by an admonition, analogy and

            1.  admonitions: ask (keep asking) seek (keep seeking) knock (keep knocking)

• the emphasis on the continuance – persistence – present tense imperative
• imperatives are usually aorist tense in Greek – Do it now.
• present tense emphasizes continuity of action

            2.  analogy:  Giving good things to your kids

• everyone loves to give good things to their children
• if they ask us for fish – we wouldn’t give them a snake
• or an egg – we wouldn’t give them a scorpion
• how much more will God . . .

II.  Jesus’ teaching on Prayer in broader perspective

A.  When people say ‘prayer’ they mean many things

            1.  in many traditions, prayer is highly ritualized

• Muslim prayer – five times daily
• many other traditions have highly ritualized prayer – Jewish Shema

            2.  Eastern traditions tend to emphasize prayer as meditation/contemplation

• nothing wrong with those traditions
• Christian prayer has those elements
• Psalms talk about meditating on God’s word – contemplation prayer

            3.  But this was not the primary understanding Jesus had of prayer

• Jesus’ prayer deals with the persistent, shameless, audacious asking for specific things out of a relationship of intimacy and friendship.

B.  Prayer for Jesus is highly relational

            1.  the analogies used here are of a friend asking a friend for something necessary

            2.  and of a child asking a parent for food

            3.  Jesus had a highly relational understanding of prayer

• prayer is first and foremost based on a personal connection and intimacy
• prayer is fairly visceral, related to basic needs and desires
• prayer is spontaneous asking from the heart

III.  Three basic Lessons on Prayer from this passage

A.  First: Prayer is communication between a child/parent, or friend/friend

            1.  The disciples asked Jesus for a lesson on prayer

• what Jesus ended up talking about was the nature of God as Father
• vs. 11-12
• prayer isn’t pleading with God for something God doesn’t want to give
• prayer is releasing the power of a willing God to work for blessing in the human arena – remember the qal vahomer

            2.  Basic idea – Prayer requires a relationship to God as father.

• in order to be effective in prayer, to have power in prayer
• you must know God as father – have a certain intimacy
• you don’t have to re-introduce yourself, but have a continuing relationship with God

            3.  children naturally have a certain boldness and audacity

• Emma asked me the other day if I was her servant.
• When I said no, she asked, “Then who is my servant?”
• children have a natural relationship which makes asking easy

            4.  Before we talk about prayer, we have to ask more basic questions

• do you have an ongoing relationship with God that makes asking easy
• that makes you bold
• that makes prayer enjoyable, effective, spontaneous

            5.  If you had to characterize your conception of God, which category fits?

• Santa Claus
• Old Man upstairs
• uncle from out of town
• master/servant

            6.  Christ calls us to know God as Father

• I must ask you, have you ever come to know God as father
• notice that this passage ends with the emphasis on the Holy Spirit
• the key to knowing God as father is the fullness of the Holy Spirit
• Rom. 8 speaks of the Spirit in our hearts crying out, “Abba, Father.”
• ultimate prayer and ultimate answer – God, fill me with your Holy Spirit

            7.  This relationship allows for confident, shameless spontaneous asking

            8.  Again, first point – to pray the way Jesus taught, you must know God as Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.

B.  Second Basic Lesson:  Prayer is shameless persistent asking for specific things

            1.  this flows from the first point – children are shameless in asking

            2.  children are also very very very very very persistent

• they have to be persistent – because they know how to work us over
• typically they are persistent about things they know we have reservations in giving

            3.  But this lesson is interesting

• it is asking us to be persistent in asking for things that
• God is only too willing to give – the Holy Spirit

            4.  I think the writer is holding two very clear competing realities together

• on one hand, God is willing to answer prayers and does so
• but many many many times it seems like the opposite is true
• it seems that God couldn’t care less about answering, hearing, responding

            5.  This passage is saying something fundamentally invigorating and life-changing

• don’t be fooled by God’s time table, God’s apparent inactivity
• God is answering prayer in one way or another
• God is still a willing, loving giving God – the circumstances be damned
• don’t give up hope

            6.  Prayers should not only be persistent but focused

• pray prayers that give God a handle to work with – specific and strategic
• avoid “God bless the world” kinds of prayers

C.  Final Lesson:  Prayer is focused on God’s kingdom and the Holy Spirit.

            1.  prayer compared to asking for bread/fish/egg

• not praying for wine to go with your caviar

            2.  Note context:  Lord’s Prayer is our model prayer

• prayer for daily bread
• preceded by a prayer “your kingdom come.”

            3.  Prayer is primarily the expressed desire for God’s will to be done on earth

• you know you are praying in God’s will when you are praying for God’s will to be done on earth
• you can figure that out – you have the mind of Christ
• you know that it isn’t God’s will that . . . fill in the blanks

            4.  To pray this prayer, you have to want God’s will done in your life

• real prayer is focused on what God wants
• in prayer, you become a co-worker with God in the world

            5.  The prayer, “Your Kingdom Come, your will be done . . . “

• perhaps the most basic prayer one can pray
• applies to a million situations

            6.  In prayer, you actually participate in the work of God in the world

• the most powerful prayer is when your very spirit becomes fused with HS
• your prayer becomes a channel for God to work his blessing in the world
• God limits what he does in the world – dominion in the world is given to humankind
• but through prayer, God is unleashed to do what God wants

7. Jesus taught us to pray God’s will into reality in the world

• thru prayer, we become co-laborers with God
• real power and pleasure.

Conclusion:  My amplified translation

Vs. 13 “Now, if you who exist in this world as self-centered creatures understand how to shower good gifts upon your kids, how much more will you Father who is in heaven shower down the Holy Spirit on you who ask him.”

Let’s close with prayer on our knees.