Yesterday we talked about being persistent in prayer. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. His response in Luke 11 verses 1-4 was to recite the Lord's Prayer. But Jesus did not end his teaching on prayer after he recited the LORD'S Prayer. He gave us a parable of a man who was persistent in prayer. The conclusion of the parable was that God might not answer your prayer request just because you are his friend, but, if you stay persistent, your prayers will be answered.
So, THE FIRST KEY TO GETTING YOUR PRAYERS ANSWERED IS PERSISTANCE!
Jesus didn't just stop with giving the them model prayer and a parable in persistence. He followed the parable with a teaching on prayer. Look at verses 9 and 10 of Luke chapter 11.
9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
We have to add aggressiveness to your persistence. Jesus promises us that if we ask, it will be given. If we seek we will find. If we knock the doors will be opened.
The first lesson was persistence in prayer, and then he adds to that ask, seek and knock. This is the attitude of a person that WILL NOT give up. The only person that does not receive in prayer is the person who quits asking, seeking and knocking. There are many reasons why people quit on prayer. Some people just get too busy. Some people get distracted. Some people get discouraged. Some people get an attitude, or in a fight with someone else, for various reasons people quit spending their time in prayer.
Have you ever asked for something? Kids ask for things all the time. Every time they go to Wal-Mart kids are asking and pleading for something. They never give up. They ask and plead, spend to the end of their parents patience, and then ask again. As we grow older, we get too much pride to ask for something. As a matter of fact when we got older we often turn away gifts that people want to bless us with. We have too much pride to receive anything from anyone. All the elderly people in this world, and they want someone to listen to them. They made so many mistakes, but we don't take time to ask for their guidance, so we just make the same mistakes that they made. We as adults don't like to ask. And when we ask God for something, we can get a bit offended if He doesn't answer just right away, or as soon as we had expected. The one that is going to receive when they ask is going to be the humble persistent person that continues to ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask
Have you ever looked for something. I am all the time losing my keys. We spend a lot of time looking for my keys! But we search and search. We want to go somewhere in the vehicle, so we have to find the keys. What are you looking for in life? Is what you are looking for something you pray for God to help you find? If not you are seeking the wrong things in life. To seek implies that you look. If you SEEK God you are looking for Him. learning more from Him, spending time with Him. Sometimes you have to go beyond asking to get what you need from God. Sometimes you have to begin seeking, searching, looking. When you go from asking to seeking you have took it up a whole new level.
Jesus said, "knock and the door will be opened." Have you ever faced closed doors? To get them open sometimes you have to go beyond asking, beyond seeking, you have to KNOCK. When you are knocking you are trying to get attention, so that someone will open the door. In the parable we studied yesterday a man was KNOCKING on his neighbors door at midnight looking for bread to feed his unexpected guest. Jesus said they may not answer because you are a friend, but if you keep on KNOCKING they will open the door and give you the bread because of your persistence. There are some things in this life that you are not going to receive unless you KNOCK on the door, and KEEP KNOCKING.
Jesus is teaching that the aggressive person is the one that is spiritually blessed. God does not bless our lethargy. The persistent aggressive person is going to ask, seek and knock on Heaven's door, and will continue to do so until their prayers are answered.
How aggressive are you in prayer? How persistent are you when it comes to your prayer life? God is not going to bless our passive attitude.
The SAD PART is that I have heard so many people say, "If God wants me to have it, I guess He will give it to me." What an ignorant thing to say! Jesus never said to sit by passively, fold your hands, refuse prayer and spout your mouth about if God wants you to have it I guess he will just give it."
Imagine a child sitting quietly in the back seat, not asking to go to McDonalds, and then thinking he is smart by saying, "I guess if mom wants me to go to McDonalds she will take me." How many of you know that is a child that is NOT going to McDonalds. You may think to yourself, but God will just give me the things I need, I won't go without, I don't have to ask, seek and knock, if I really need it He will just give it. NO! HE DOESN'T! Why do you think so many people GO WITHOUT THE BASIC NECESSITIES OF LIFE THAT THEY NEED? They do so because they are passive in their prayer life. They don't want to ask, seek and knock and they expect God to just give them everything without them even lifting a voice or a finger to God in prayer. You may look around and think, why is there so many bad things in my life, in the world...It is because people did not get aggressive in prayer. It isn't enough just to pray a short season, or a couple of times. Jesus taught that you have to pray to the point that you are persistently asking, seeking and knocking.
Is your prayer life aggressive or passive. If it is aggressive sometimes and passive other times you are going to find that your prayers are hindered. Prayer is like a battle. The enemy is doing everything he can to hinder your prayers, and the angels fight to bring the answer to your prayers. The more you pray, the weaker the enemy gets. If you are praying persistent at times, and then slacking at times you never reach the level of intensity in warfare to see the enemy lines broken through and your prayers answered.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray he gave a parable on persistence and a teaching on being aggressive in your prayers. He gave us everything we needed to defeat the enemy and to see our prayers break through.
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