We’re in a message series called “Teach Us To Pray.” For a believer, prayer is the most important activity in life. Prayer connects us with the living God, who loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives. Yet, many struggle with prayer. We don’t always know how to pray. Sometimes it seems like the answers don’t come. Jesus’ disciples felt the same way. They saw Jesus pray, but their prayers just didn’t seem to measure up or get the same results. Our message series title is taken from …
Luke 11:1 (NIV) One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
We want to learn how to pray like Jesus prayed. We want to get the same results that Jesus did, we want to see our prayers answered. When you pray have you ever wondered, am I doing this right? If you don’t know if you’re doing something right, it’s easy to quit, to give up. However, when you know that you are doing something right and if you keep on, you’ll get the result you’re looking for, then is easier to keep going. Jesus wanted His disciples to learn how to pray, to get it right, so they wouldn’t give it, so that they would get answers.
John 16:24 (NIV) Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
That’s what Jesus wants for you. He wants you to receive what you’ve asked for in prayer. When you receive what you asked for, you will be full of joy.
So today, my message is called “Unstoppable Prayer.” Or perhaps I might have called it, Praying without Quitting. You never will get to where you want to go if you quit. If a runner quits the race, they will never win a prize. In the same way, if you quit praying before the answer comes, it’s never going to come. Can anyone else stop you from praying? Somebody may stop you from praying publicly or audibly, but as long as you’re alive, no one can stop you from praying, because you can pray in your mind. I’m sorry, there is a one person who can stop you from praying and that’s you. If you say, I don’t think this is working, I’ve got better things to do, I’ll just stop, then you won’t receive your answer.
Last Sunday, we looked at the first part of Jesus’ answer to the disciple’s request to teach them to pray. Jesus taught on the ingredients and order of successful prayer. Today, we’re going to look at the next part in Jesus’ answer to His disciple’s request. Jesus’ answer explains to us several more characteristics of effective prayer and show us how to keep on praying, even if the answer does not immediately come.
So, I encourage you today to ask God to help you apply Jesus’ teaching to your own situation and prayer life. As you do, you will see more and more prayers being answered.
Listen to or watch my August 12, 2012 message Unstoppable Prayer.