259 Talking with God: Ready, Willing, and Able
It has often been said that prayer is the greatest force in the universe. And yet, it remains a largely untapped resource for so many Christians. Why is that?
There are a lot of reasons why we don’t pray, but I think they can be summarized under two headings:
We don’t know how it works. It feels very unnatural to talk to someone I can’t actually see and whose voice I’ve never literally heard.
We don’t think it really matters. We take a fatalistic view. “If it’s supposed to happen, it’ll happen, whether I pray or not.”
In Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable that addresses the issue of prayer straight-up. The story has two main characters: a widow and a judge.
Widows in Jesus’ day were vulnerable. Unless she had a son to take care of her, she was without resources, power, or connections. In Jesus’ story, this widow was being harassed by an adversary, so she took her case to the local judge, seeking relief.
Unfortunately, the judge in this story was a hard-hearted man. He didn’t fear (respect) anyone – neither man nor God!
When the widow came to him, he dismissed her. But she wouldn’t give up. She kept pestering the judge over and over again until finally, the judge threw up his hands and said, “I can’t take it anymore. Give her what she wants!”
Now, most people read this story and think... we’re like the widow—defenseless and weak. And God is like the judge! He’s super busy and doesn’t have time to bother with little people like me and my little problems.
So, the moral of the story is… it pays to pester! The more I pester God in prayer, the more likely He’ll finally cave in and give me what I ask for!
Friends, that could not be further from the truth. This parable is not an allegory. It is a beautifully crafted study in contrasts! Jesus’ point is, if this sort of judge gives this sort of help to this sort of person, how much more will your Father give all kinds of help to you? And in so doing, He gives us three prerequisites we need to understand if we hope to keep praying and not give up.
1. We need to understand our identity.
Some of us see God as Oz the Terrible. Like Dorothy and her friends, we tremble before Him. But for those who have come to faith in Christ, the King of the Universe is our Father! And He is thrilled with your presence and delighted to hear of your needs. No one’s voice sounds sweeter to God than yours.
2. We need to understand God’s inclination.
Don’t think for a minute that you have to concoct some way to wrench a blessing from some tight-fisted miser. That just isn’t so. From cover to cover in the Bible, we read of a God who loves to give good things to His children. He delights in it.
3. We need to understand God’s invitation.
God calls us to talk to Him—to ask, seek, and knock—not just to have our needs met, but that we might enter into a faith partnership with Him.
Text: Luke 18:1-8
Originally recorded on August 22, 2004, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN