PRAYING AND NOT FAINTING

LUKE 18: 1-14

TX. VS. 1

-A parable is a earthly story with a heavenly or spiritual meaning.

-In vs. 1, we are encouraged to pray and not faint.

-The word faint does not mean to get exhausted or weary when you pray.

-Jesus is teaching here that praying is better than giving up.

-In the parable which follows, the widow asked a judge to render a just decision.

-He was an unjust judge and cared not about justice.

-He knew it, she knew it, and everyone else knew it.

-She had every reason to give up, but she chose rather to ask him over and over until he

got tired and granted her request.

-Jesus told this parable to reinforce in our mind that prayer is a better choice than giving up.

-Pray and don#SYMBOL \f "WP TypographicSymbols"61t faint.

-God hears and answers prayer, so pray rather than give up.

-When you feel like giving up and quitting, choose rather to pray.

-Prayer is such a wonderful opportunity God has given to us, so, we need to pray and not

give up.

-I want to give you three simple things about praying, this morning.

A. The widow prayed because someone had wronged her.

B. The publican prayed because his life was full of sin and had a poor testimony.

C. The rich young ruler in verse 18, prayed about spiritual needs in his life

Luke 18:18

18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

D. The blind man in verses 35-42, prayed about the physical needs in his life.

Luke 18:40-41

40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,

41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

E. Whatever your need, chose to pray about it rather than to give up and quit.

A. God answers some prayers immediately.

1. Elijah prayed and fire fell at once.

2. A few years ago we did not have enough money to build a building on the land we

had just purchased.

a. In three years time, after praying, giving, and praying, God supplied some

$225,000.00, and the building was built. (Thank God, our people did not believe

in quitting and giving up.)

3. I have seen,

a. marriages and homes immediately by prayaer,

b. sickness disappear immediately,

c. lost souls saved immediately by prayer, and that is why we should pray and not

faint.

B. Sometimes, God does not answer immediately.

1. Some things we may pray for that God knows will harm us, so He answers the prayer

differently.

a. Some things God wants to give us, but not just yet. (The Apostle Paul)

2. Sometimes God needs to test our faith in Him.

a. #SYMBOL \f "WP TypographicSymbols"65It not good to take bread from the table and cast it to dogs.#SYMBOL \f "WP TypographicSymbols"64

b. I am sure Job prayed for healing, but he did not get it immediately.

3. God may delay the answer to your prayer because of a greater need in your life that

you are not seeing right now.

4. God delays because there are other factors involved, such as the free will of man.

a. (Save my mate or my parents or my brothers and sisters)

C. Even when God does not immediately answer our prayers, it is still good to pray

1. We do not know why there is a delay and we do not know God#SYMBOL \f "WP TypographicSymbols"61s timing..

2. But we have no other good choice other than keep on praying and do not quit praying.

a. Quitting is never a good thing to do, so keep praying.

b. Rather than quit, Jesus is saying to us, choose to pray.

III. WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE GIVING UP, PRAY.

A. Praying is a better option, than to giving in to our problems.

1. Winston Churchill made a speech to a group of students in England, near his own

death, #SYMBOL \f "WP TypographicSymbols"65never give up, never never give up, never, never, never give up.#SYMBOL \f "WP TypographicSymbols"64

B. Life often makes no sense at all and there are many disappointments.

1. After while we wear down and we get to thinking that quitting is the only choice

left.

a. There is a better thing that you can do, PRAY!

C. You say, I have prayed for years, and it has not done any good.

1. But Jesus says, to pray and don#SYMBOL \f "WP TypographicSymbols"61t faint or quit praying.

2. You say, I just can#SYMBOL \f "WP TypographicSymbols"61t, but you can to, by just getting back down on your knees one

more time and ask God to help you one more time.

A. Prayer is so important to a Christian#SYMBOL \f "WP TypographicSymbols"61s life.

1. When you need something, pray.

2. When you see no results, pray.

3. When you feel like giving up, pray.

B. We make some bad choices in our life sometimes and our patience runs out and our

strength is exhausted.

1. Somewhere in life we reach a point where we feel, #SYMBOL \f "WP TypographicSymbols"65this is the last straw#SYMBOL \f "WP TypographicSymbols"64, and what

is the use of it all.

2. I may as well throw in the towel, for it is no use to keep on trying and I might as well

forget about it.

3. When you feel that way, that is when you need to make the choice to pray.

a. You can always pray.

b. It is never a poor choice to pray!

Luke 18:1

1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;