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Luke 18 1-8 Persistent prayer of faith 01 Denial of the self in prayer
📖 Luke 18:1-8
28Aug2020 - *Denial of the self in prayer* - _Luke 18:1-8_ - Persistent prayer of faith 1 – Bible reading: _Luke 18:6-8_
We have completed the study of _Luke 17:20-37_ under the title, *Being occupied with the work of His kingdom, till He returns.* We now move on to _Luke 18:1-8_. We will title this study as, *Persistent prayer of faith.*
_Luke 18:1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,_
The word of God tells us that Jesus spoke a parable to the disciples _(Luke 17:22, 37)_ Though this is a parable, this illustration could very well be an actual event that had taken place in peoples lives.
The purpose of the parable is stated here. _...men always ought to pray and not lose heart_ Persistent or continuous prayer is the norm for us as His people. _I Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing,_
Why should prayer be a ‘constant’ for the disciple of Jesus? Prayer underlines the basis of our life that life is no more about ourselves. Once we have come into a relationship with Jesus, we are no more in control over our lives, God is. We are therefore cast upon Him, always.
_Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; (6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. (8) For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit._
This is a challenge for many, for though we have come to Christ, we still want to be in charge of our lives. We still want to be in control. We treat prayer as a place, where we come seeking for God’s help in times of need otherwise, we think that we can run our lives pretty much on our own. Prayer is a denial of the self in us.
Prayer is our breath. Prayer is about being totally dependent upon God, always, not just in time of need. This goes wholly against a popular maxim, _God helps those who help themselves_ This is a philosophy of the world. When we come to Christ in prayer, we are in a state of complete abandonment of being cast on Him, always. We are, therefore, always in an attitude of prayer.
Jesus calls us to pray always and not to lose heart. Why did Jesus say that we should not lose heart? At times the answers to our prayer may not come in the manner in which we desired. There could also be a long delay in receiving _(maybe even years)_ answers to our prayer. The Lord is calling us not to lose heart.
_Luke 18:7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them?_
Our prayer is a relationship with Him. We are His chosen ones. Our prayer is in the context of a relationship of us belonging to Him and He owning us. Though there may not be an answer to our prayer, we continue to pray for we are cultivating our relationship with Him.
He is committed to us but our commitment to Him is strengthened as we pray and not lose heart. The more we persist in prayer the more we strengthen our relationship and love for Him.
*Thought to ponder*
```Are you in a state of prayer, even right this very moment?```