Importunity, towards God - His Control
OverComers • Sermon • Submitted
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· 82 viewsEarnestness and perseverance in presenting requests to God on behalf of oneself and others; seen in persistent pleading, faithful intercession and bold appeal.
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Scripture Text
Scripture Text
For the music director, upon stringed instruments. Of David.
1 Hear, O God, my cry;
attend to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to you
when my heart grows faint.
You will lead me to a rock that is higher than I.
3 For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower from the enemy.
4 Let me reside in your tent forever.
Let me take refuge under the covering of your wings. Selah
5 For you, O God, you have heard my vows.
You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 You will add days to the days of the king,
his years like those of many generations.
7 May he live forever in the presence of God.
Appoint loyal love and faithfulness to preserve him.
8 So I will sing the praise of your name forever,
that I may fulfill my vows daily.
Perseverance in prayer
Perseverance in prayer
Persistence in prayer
Persistence in prayer
Morning, noon and night I will lament and groan loudly,
and he will hear my voice.
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1 My God, my God why have you forsaken me?
Why are you far from helping me, far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I call by day and you do not answer,
and by night but I have no rest.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
because I call to you all day long.
1 O Yahweh, God of my salvation,
I cry out by day and through the night before you.
9 My eye languishes from misery.
I call on you, O Yahweh, every day;
I spread out my hands to you.
17 pray constantly,
5 But the widow who is one truly, and is left alone, has put her hope in God and continues in her petitions and prayers night and day.
;
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
1 And he told them a parable to show that they must always pray and not be discouraged,
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2 saying, “There was a certain judge in a certain town who did not fear God and did not respect people. 3 And there was a widow in that town, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary!’ 4 And he was not willing for a time, but after these things he said to himself, ‘Even if I do not fear God or respect people, 5 yet because this widow is causing trouble for me, I will grant her justice, so that she does not wear me down in the end by her coming back!’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge is saying! 7 And will not God surely see to it that justice is done to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night, and will he delay toward them? 8 I tell you that he will see to it that justice is done for them soon! Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, then will he find faith on earth?”
Faithfulness in prayer
Faithfulness in prayer
with all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit, and to this end being alert with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,
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9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, is my witness, how constantly I make mention of you, 10 always asking in my prayers if somehow now at last I may succeed to come to you in the will of God.
12 Epaphras, who is one of you, greets you, a slave of Christ always struggling on behalf of you in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
2 We give thanks to God always concerning all of you, making mention constantly in our prayers, 3 because we remember your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,
3 I am thankful to God, whom I have served with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day,
Earnestness in prayer
Earnestness in prayer
I seek your favor with my whole heart;
be gracious to me according to your word.
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1 Give ear, O God, to my prayer,
and do not hide yourself from my plea.
2 Attend to me and answer me.
I am restless in my lamenting and I groan,
1 Hear, O God, my cry;
attend to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to you
when my heart grows faint.
You will lead me to a rock that is higher than I.
8 And the human beings and the animals must be covered with sackcloth! And they must call forcefully to God, and each must turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
And being in anguish, he began praying more fervently and his sweat became like drops of blood falling down to the ground.⟧
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7 who in the days of his flesh offered up both prayers and supplications, with loud crying and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard as a result of his reverence.
Boldness in prayer
Boldness in prayer
;
27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Look, please, I was bold to speak to my Lord, but I am dust and ashes.
8 I tell you, even if he does not give him anything after he gets up because he is his friend, at any rate because of his impudence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
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12 And Moses said to Yahweh, “See, you are saying to me, ‘Take this people up.’ But you have not let me know whom you will send with me, and you yourself have said, ‘I know you by name, and you also have found favor in my eyes.’ 13 And now if I have found favor in your eyes, make known to me, please, your way, and so I may know you so that I can find favor in your eyes. And see that this nation is your people.” 14 And he said, “My presence will go, and I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence is not going, do not bring us up from here. 16 And by what will it be known then that I have found favor in your eyes, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us? And so we will be distinguished, I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the ground.”
Confidence in prayer:
Confidence in prayer:
;
12 in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through faith in him.
16 Therefore let us approach with confidence to the throne of grace, in order that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Further examples of importunity in prayer
Further examples of importunity in prayer
Repeated requests in prayer
Repeated requests in prayer
Abraham prays for Sodom;
22 And the men turned from there and went toward Sodom. And Abraham was still standing before Yahweh. 23 And Abraham drew near to Yahweh and said, “Will you also sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 If perhaps there are fifty righteous in the midst of the city, will you also sweep them away and not forgive the place on account of the fifty righteous in her midst? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing as this, to kill the righteous with the wicked, that the righteous would be as the wicked! Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do justice?” 26 And Yahweh said, “If I find fifty righteous in Sodom, in the midst of the city, then I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” 27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Look, please, I was bold to speak to my Lord, but I am dust and ashes. 28 Perhaps the fifty righteous are lacking five—will you destroy the whole city on account of the five?” And he answered, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 And once again he spoke to him and said, “What if forty are found there?” And he answered, “I will not do it on account of the forty.” 30 And he said, “Please, let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if thirty be found there?” And he answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31 And he said, “Please, now, I was bold to speak to my Lord. What if twenty be found there?” And he answered, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.” 32 And he said, “Please, let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak only once more. What if ten are found there?” And he answered, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
Gideon asks for assurance;
36 Then Gideon said to God, “In order to see that you will deliver Israel by my hand, just as you have said, 37 I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and all of the ground is dry, I will know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, just as you have said.” 38 And it was so. He arose early the next day and squeezed the fleece, and he wrung out dew from the fleece, a full drinking bowl of water. 39 And Gideon said to God, “Do not let your anger burn against me; let me speak once more. Please let me test once more with the fleece; let the fleece be dry, and let there be dew on the ground.” 40 And God did so that night; only the fleece was dry, and dew was on all the ground.
Canaanite woman begs for Jesus Christ’s help;
22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that district came and cried out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came up and asked him, saying, “Send her away, because she is crying out after us!” 24 But he answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt down before him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 And he answered and said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs!” 27 So she said, “Yes, Lord, for even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you want.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
Blind men call out to Jesus Christ;
30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they called out, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 And the crowd rebuked them so that they would be quiet. But they called out all the more, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
Jesus Christ prays in Gethsemane;
44 And leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing again.
Legion begs for mercy;
10 And he was imploring him many times that he would not send them out of the region.
Paul pleads with God to take away his “thorn”.
8 Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would depart from me.
Further examples of perseverance in prayer
Further examples of perseverance in prayer
Jacob wrestles with God;
26 Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
Moses fasts and prays because of Israel’s sin;
18 And then I lay prostrate before Yahweh, as earlier, forty days and forty nights; I did not eat food and I did not drink water because of all your sins that you committed, by doing evil in the eyes of Yahweh and so provoking him.
David pleads for his sick child;
16 David pleaded with God on behalf of the boy and David fasted. He went to spend the night and lay upon the ground.
The prophets of Baal appeal unsuccessfully to their god;
28 So they called out with a loud voice, and they cut themselves with swords and with spears as was their custom, until the blood poured out over them. 29 It happened as noon passed, they raged until the time of the evening offering, but there was no voice, there was no answer, and no one paid attention.
Nehemiah prays for God’s people;
4 When I heard these words, I sat and wept and mourned for days, and I was fasting and praying before the God of the heavens. 5 I said, “O Yahweh God of the heavens, the great and awesome one who keeps the covenant and loyal love for the ones who love him and for those who keep his commands. 6 Please, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I am praying before you by day and by night for your servants, the Israelites, and confessing the sins of the Israelites that we have sinned against you. I and my father’s house have sinned.
Daniel waits for the interpretation of his vision;
2 In those days, I, Daniel, I myself was in mourning for three whole weeks. 3 I had not eaten any choice food, and meat and wine did not enter my mouth, and I did not use any ointment until the end of three whole weeks.
Anna looks for God to redeem his people.
37 and herself as a widow up to eighty-four years) who did not depart from the temple with fastings and prayers, serving night and day.
Further examples of earnestness in prayer
Further examples of earnestness in prayer
Hannah prays for a child;
12 While she continued to pray before Yahweh, Eli was observing her mouth. 13 Now Hannah had been speaking in her heart; her lips were moving, but her voice could not be heard, so Eli considered her to be drunk. 14 Then Eli said to her, “How long will you behave like someone who is drunk? Put away your wine!” 15 But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord. I am a woman deeply distressed, but I have not drunk wine or strong drink. Rather, I have poured out my soul before Yahweh. 16 Do not regard your female servant as worthless, but because of the extent of my worries and my provocation I have spoken all of this.”
Solomon prays at the dedication of the Temple;
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in the presence of all of the assembly of Israel, and he spread out his hands to the heavens,
Elijah prays for rain to cease;
17 Elijah was a human being with the same nature as us, and he prayed fervently for it not to rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.
Ezra prays about the people’s sin;
5 At the evening offering I got up from my mourning posture and, with my garment and robe torn, I fell down on my knees and I spread out my palms to Yahweh my God
Hezekiah prays for healing;
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh, 3 and he said, “O Yahweh, please remember how I have walked before your presence in faithfulness with a whole heart, and I have done the good in your eyes!” And Hezekiah wept with great weeping.
Daniel prays for Jerusalem;
3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and pleas for mercy, in fasting and in sackcloth and ashes.
Jairus asks Jesus Christ to heal his daughter;
22 And one of the rulers of the synagogue came—Jairus by name—and when he saw him, he fell down at his feet. 23 And he was imploring him many times, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death! Come, lay your hands on her, so that she will get well and will live.”
A nobleman begs Jesus Christ to heal his son;
47 This man, when he heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, went to him and asked that he come down and heal his son, for he was about to die.
The early church prays for Peter’s release from prison.
5 Thus Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer was fervently being made to God by the church for him.