ALWAYS PRAY AND DO NOT GIVE UP

PROCLAMATION

“And He spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, ‘There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man;  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, ‘Avenge me of my adversary.’  And he would not for a while; …  But afterward he said ‘… this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her …’  And The Lord said, ‘… Shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him …?’ ”  Luke 18:1-8 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, which were spoken by Christ according to Luke, the physician.  Again Jesus continued to teach His disciples.  He told them The Parable of The Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8), The Parable of The Pharisee and The Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14), and The Parable of The Rich and The Kingdom of God. (Luke 18:18-30)  Afterwards, Jesus spoke to His disciples and He predicted His death for a third time. (Luke 18:31-34)  The eighteenth chapter ends with an account of Jesus giving a blind beggar his sight. (Luke 18:35-43) 

 

APPLICATION

Prayer is the means by which we communicate with The Lord God.  The Bible teaches us that we ought to always pray. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)  Before all things that we do and say, and for all that we want, we should pray. (Matthew 21:22)  We should pray over and over again until God answers our prayer.  The old saying is: “PUSH,” which means “pray until something happens.”  The Bible says: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16)  Christ tells us that persistent prayer pays off. (Luke 18:7-8)  God’s people are to be a praying people.  However, when we pray, we are not to use vain repetitions. (Matthew 6:7)  We may be asking for the same things, but we should be sincere and use different words.  Remember, our prayers should be in line with the will of God.