Have Faith and Pray

10.5.2009

Luke 18:1 1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart... New American Standard Bible

Prayer is work; there are no short-cuts and no easy way around it – prayer is work. So because it is, we must not lose heart when we pray and the answers don’t come as quickly as we'd like. Does God toy with His children? Does God tease His kids? Is God some kind of genie who does our bidding without question?

What do we want from God? Is it simply to meet our demands and make our lives better? We ought to pray and not lose heart. So what kinds of prayers should we pray? Paul the Apostle helps us there when he says in Ephesians 6.18: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” I think Jesus in this parable in Luke is also telling us to pray all kinds of prayers at all times about all kinds of things, so that we may pray in confidence waiting expectantly for our God to act on our behalf; because He then says, “…now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly…” (Luke 18.7,8)

God ever sees and always cares;

God always listens to, and answers, my prayers.

Sometimes He says ‘yes’, sometimes it’s a ‘no’;

Sometimes it’s, “Wait! We’re gonna take this one slow.”

But whatever the answer that there may be

My faith says God pays attention to and cares about me.

Like old Bartimaeus sitting alongside the road

In blindness wondering how he was going to carry his load

When he heard about Jesus he yelled with all his might

And then when Jesus asked he said, “Lord, I want my sight!”

And Jesus said “Because you had the faith to yell,

Go your way seeing, Bartimaeus, your faith has made you well.”

Faith is no different for me and you,

Because we’re to bring our prayers and petitions to God too.

And we’re to lift our prayers in believing faith

Knowing we’re heard in heaven because of God’s grace.

Father in Heaven,

Thank You for the gift of faith and the gift of grace and for hearing my prayers and for acting swiftly to help me. Amen.