BE FAITHFUL TO THE END

Genesis 18:20-32; Colossians 1:9-14; Luke 11:1-13

Introduction

A friend recently told me, "Papa, ask whatever you want and I will do it for you". I was glad to hear that because it is like a blank cheque, "whatever?" This is the open cheque our Father gives to us when He says, 'Ask and it shall be given unto you.' He goes on to say, "Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:13-14 HCSB). We access this offer through our conversation with God called "Prayer".

Charles Spurgeon says, 'I'll rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach'. Jesus taught His followers how to pray (Luke 11:1-4). Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, only how to pray. I believe Jesus is pointing to us that, knowing how to speak to God is more important than knowing how to speak to men. Jesus loves to teach us to pray.

Jesus explained prayer by emphasizing persistency. He gives a scenario of a friend in need of bread from a friend. What the friend seek comes to him not because of friendship but for the persistency of asking. (Luke 11:8) That is why He urges "...keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you." Luke 11:9 (HCSB)

Child of God, so instead of giving up after a prayer for something, Jesus is telling us to be persistent in our prayer. Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking and far from letting go, far from giving up, far from being discouraged, persistency is the message of accessing the open cheque of possibilities.

Beloved, our asking in persistency will surely yield a good result as Jesus assures us, "For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Luke 11:10 (HCSB). Jesus is not saying things for the fun of them. He is encouraging us to believe even when it tarries He is a prayer answering God.

THE PROMISE

1. The promise is for who? 

When Jesus says, “So I say to you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you." Luke 11:9 (HCSB) - the question is, who is the 'you'?

In Luke 11:2, Jesus taught the disciples to pray by saying, "Father, Your name be honored as holy." (HCSB) The promise is therefore available to the children of God. He is talking to those who are genuine children of God. He is talking to those who have been born again and have become sons and daughters of God. He’s talking to those who by faith in Christ have become part of God’s family. God is their Father.

In the cross-reference to this text in Matthew, this promise comes after a lengthy sermon exhorting followers to consciously seek to please God (sermon on the mount). Therefore, specifically, this promise is for those who have been born again through faith and keep working out their salving with fear and trembling to please their Father who art in Heaven.

2. This promise is about what?

This is about our God who knows how to give good and perfect gifts to His children (James 1:7). Fallible as we are, we seek to provide the best for our children, what about our infallible Father? "For I know the plans I have for you” — this is the LORD’S declaration — “plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 (HCSB) God has plans for our future not disaster upon us. God will never give us what will harm us. There are times, what we ask God is indeed good but may not be in His corresponding timing for us.

You may have prayed to go to America but you had to be in Ghana. You may have prayed for the life of a dear one but you had to bury the person. You may have prayed for the healing of a disease but it still persists. Sometimes God seems so far away from your prayers, a million miles apart. I want to remind you that, God knows best and gives what is best for you. Remember Abraham's encounter with God, “Since I have ventured to speak to the Lord — even though I am dust and ashes — Genesis 18:27 (HCSB). Never give up, be bold and speak to Him without ceasing.

More insightfully, God gives us the perfect gift of His Spirit to us (Luke 11:13). This means God gives more than the answers to our prayers, God gives us the promise of His indwelling presence. Even when answers seem hard to come by, His presence is sufficient for us. This truth reminds us that, when we pray, we come to God not just for answers but more importantly for His comforting presence.

Conclusion

When we pray, perhaps we should persevere like children do. Dr. Helen Roseveare, a missionary who served in Zaire, told the following story. “A mother at our mission station died after giving birth to a premature baby. We tried to improvise an incubator to keep the infant alive, but the only hot water bottle we had was beyond repair. So we asked the children to pray for the baby and for her sister. One of the girls responded. ‘Dear God, please send a hot water bottle today. Tomorrow will be too late because by then the baby will be dead. And dear Lord, send a doll for the sister so she won't feel so lonely’. That afternoon a large package arrived from England. The children watched eagerly as we opened it. Much to their surprise, under some clothing, was a hot water bottle! Immediately the girl who had prayed so earnestly started to dig deeper, exclaiming, ‘If God sent that, I'm sure He also sent a doll!’ And she was right! God knew in advance of that child’s sincere requests, and 5 months earlier He had led a ladies' group to include both of those specific articles.”

John writes in affirmation of our fundamental truth; "Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for." 1 John 5:14-15 (HCSB)

Shalom aleichem...