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Perseverance in Prayer
A father related that during their family time each person was going to pray for one person.
His son prayed to ask God to help his friend Eddie be better at school because he was so bad.
When they got together the next week, the father asked his son if he was going to pray for Eddie again.
“No,” the son replied, “I prayed for Eddie last week and he is still bad.”
Privilege of Prayer
From "Deceiver" to "He Strives with God" - When God knows you, you have access to Him in prayer.
Jesus has made it clear that there will be a period of time between the inbreaking of the eschaton now at his death, resurrection, and ascension, and the full coming of the eschaton not yet at the last judgment (17:20–37).
Therefore, he now encourages his disciples to continue in prayer and not to lose hope if the delay seems long.
The Promise of Prayer
God stands, both before you and with you, when you pray.
Διαμαρτύρομαι = I solemnly testify
ἐνώπιον = before, in the presence of
The Promise of Prayer
We have power in prayer, because God has given us faith in His living Word, the Bridegroom, who has promised to hear us and answer us.
The world cannot act upon these promises, because the world does not trust Him.
The Bride, and the Bride alone, has the authority, privilege, and right, both to cling to the promises, and to invoke them.
The Practice of Prayer
But before we explain the Lord’s Prayer part by part, the most necessary thing is to exhort and encourage people to pray, as Christ and the apostles also did.
The first thing to know is this: It is our duty to pray because of God’s command.
For we heard in the Second Commandment, “You are not to take God’s name in vain.”
Thereby we are required to praise the holy name and to pray or call upon it in every need.
Therefore you should say: “The prayer I offer is just as precious, holy, and pleasing to God as those of St. Paul and the holiest of saints.
The reason is this: I freely admit that he is holier in respect to his person, but not on account of the commandment.
For God does not regard prayer on account of the person, but on account of his Word and the obedience accorded it.
On this commandment, on which all the saints base their prayer, I, too, base mine.
Moreover, I pray for the same thing for which they all pray, or ever have prayed.”
Kolb, R., Wengert, T. J., & Arand, C. P. (2000).
The Book of Concord: the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (p.
442).
Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
In the second place, what ought to impel and arouse us to pray all the more is the fact that God has made and affirmed a promise: that what we pray is a certain and sure thing.
As he says in Psalm 50[:15*], “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you,” and Christ says in the Gospel in Matthew 7[:7–8*], “Ask, and it will be given you,” etc. . . .
“For everyone who asks receives.”
Furthermore, we should be encouraged and drawn to pray because, in addition to this commandment and promise, God takes the initiative and puts into our mouths the very words and approach we are to use.
In this way we see how deeply concerned he is about our needs, and we should never doubt that such prayer pleases him and will assuredly be heard.
How can we, therefore, not pray?
What greater assurance can we receive, beyond all that God has graciously given to us, both in His proclaimed Word, and in the Sacraments?
What exists on earth that is comparable to the fact that we have access by faith into this grace in which we now stand?
Definition of Faith: Suppose there is a fire in the upper section of a house.
As the people gather in the street below, a child is seen at the window of a room next to the fire.
The fire trucks are at least five minutes away and so will be too late to help.
How is the child to escape?
Now suppose that in the neighborhood lives a large man, well known for his strength and athletic ability.
He arrives at the scene and shouts to the child, “Drop into my arms.
Don’t be afraid.
I’ll catch you.”
It is one part of faith for the child to know that the man is there.
It is another part of faith to believe that the man is strong and able to catch someone.
But the essence of faith lies in his dropping down into the man’s arms.[1]
[1] Green, M. P. (Ed.).
(1989).
Illustrations for Biblical Preaching: Over 1500 sermon illustrations arranged by topic and indexed exhaustively (Revised edition of: The expositor’s illustration file).
Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.
Jesus foretold His death, and it happened.
He foretold His resurrection, and it happened.
He foretold the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and it happened.
He foretold your new birth, and it happened.
Trusting God in prayer comes from a far more secure place than the place in which the widow of our Gospel text stood.
She stood on the righteousness of her complaint, and the confidence that the righteous God would cause the unrighteous judge to deal righteously with her.
We trust in the Word of God, not merely the text, but Christ Himself, Who died for us, and rose again, that we might have access to the Father as beloved children of God.
God has done all that He needed to do.
What Has God given me to help in my praying?
What does it mean when I don't see a change in the situation, am I failing due to a lack of faith?
On what basis does God answer prayer, and on what basis does He not answer?
Does God respond to my faith, or is my faith a response to God's promise?
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