Prayer is an ongoing communication with the Father, which involves listening, speaking, and acting on what we hear.
God has promised to answer HIS children’s prayers, but HE often waits before responding. HE does so for many reasons.
Sometimes HE answers our first request
Many times it takes several petitions before HE responds.
In certain situations, we have to keep asking before God gives HIS answer.
Jesus calls us to a lifestyle of “asking, seeking, and knocking”
• God has to make us ready for what HE wants to give. We may have some attitudes or behaviors that are not right. (James 4:3) He will deal with them before HE gives us His response.
• God may use delays to test our faith or to deepen our relationship with HIM. When there is no response from HIM, HE wants us to keep seeking HIM and conversing with HIM
• God’s timetable often does not match ours. HE knows what HE wants to accomplish in our spiritual lives and in our relationship with HIM. We can trust that the time between our request and HIS reply will be put to good use by HIM.
LUKE 18:1-8
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
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 about men. 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 don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' 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?
(0419) 20 Nov 2007