Wrestling in Prayer

Once again, good morning. We continue in the series on prayer with a topic today, wrestling

in prayer. That's prevailing and persistent prayer. So from the Bible, we're to pray without

season based on the verse 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 17. In Romans 12 verse 12, we're also

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Romans 12:12

again commanded to persevere in prayer. The text of the verse says, rejoice in hope, be

patient in suffering, and persevere in prayer. Now one will ask, does this refer to the continual

acts of prayer itself? Does that mean we're praying from minute to minute, or does it

refer to the spirit of prayerfulness? Now from Colossians 3 verse 2, we're to set our affections

Colossians 3:2

on things above and not on things on earth. So linking these two together, I believe they're

intertwined. So we're supposed to have this spirit of prayerfulness and also pray always.

Now, what's the subject of our prayers? Are we to pray for ourselves, our families, or are

we to intercede for others? From Scripture, clearly we're supposed to pray for others.

Turn into Ephesians 1 verse 15 and 17. This is taken from the, I believe, the modern English

Ephesians 1:15

version. It says, therefore, I also, after hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love

towards all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, mention you in my prayers, so that the God of

our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the

knowledge of him. And then again, there's a similar prayer in Colossians 1 verse 9 to 11, where Paul

Colossians 1:9–11

says, for this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that

you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you

may walk, that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, pleasing to him, being fruitful in every

good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might according to his

glorious power, enduring everything with perseverance and patience joyfully. This is a certainly a beautiful

and lovely prayer to pray for all, for all our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Prayer builds us up into the body of Christ. Through prayer, we're able to know the mind of Christ,

and also, we're also able to walk in his will.

From 1 Timothy 2 verse 1, we're also commanded to pray, to lift up our hands, to pray for everyone,

1 Timothy 2:1

including authorities, kings, rulers, with supplications and thanksgiving. And this is

acceptable and good and pleasing in the sight of God.

Clearly, we can see that we're called not only to pray for our families or ourselves, but we're

supposed to broaden the horizon to pray for our brethren in church, our church, the universal church,

and our nations. So we'll go to the next portion of the session today.

What's Jesus teaching on persistent and prevailing prayer?

So we'll take our text for this portion is Luke 18, 1 to 8.

Okay, and I'll take this from the New King James Version.

So this is the parable of the persistent widow.

Luke 18, verse 1.

Luke 18:1

Then he spake a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying,

There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God, nor regard man.

Now there was a widow in that city, and she came to him, saying, Get justice for me from my adversary.

And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, Though I do not fear God, nor regard man,

yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge said,

And shall not God avenge his own elect, who cry out day and night to him, though he bears long with them?

I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he really find faith on the earth?

Though answers to prayer may seem to be delayed, Jesus highlighted the need to pray always and not to lose heart.

It's easy to lose heart, to become discouraged, when answers to prayer appear to be taken several years, or appear to be delayed.

Believe me, I've personally been in this place often.

However, from the text of the scripture, we can see that the widow's prayer was persistent.

Her request was, Avenge me against my adversary.

And let's see the promise from God from verse 7.

And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto them, though he bear long with them?

From this verse, we can see clearly that the struggle in prayer may be long and very hard.

And in verse 8, there's an interesting question that Jesus poses to his listeners.

He says, nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Now, Andrew Murray, the 19th century preacher from South Africa, wrote in his book titled,

The Ministry of Intercession, that there can be no true prayer without faith.

From the definition of faith given in the Bible, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.

So clearly, when we come to God in prayer, we must exercise faith.

For without faith, the Bible says that if we come to the Lord Jesus in prayer without faith,

and we don't believe, we're like one who's tossed on the waves of the sea.

We do not expect to receive anything from God.

So, like the widow in the parable, we must be persistent in prayer.

We must exercise faith.

No delay in prayer must shake our faith.

We can clearly see that unbelief is a barrier to prayer, to answered prayer.

Another barrier to answered prayer, which I like to talk about, is unforgiveness,

bearing grudges, holding things against people.

Now, let's see another promise from the word concerning prayer.

From 1 John 5, verse 14 and 15.

1 John 5:14

And this is the confidence we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

And if we know he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the positions that we have desired of him.

So, clearly, once again, we can see that ultimately we must believe and exercise faith in God and his word.

Now, another of Jesus' teachings on prayer can be found in Luke chapter 11, verse 5 to 11.

Luke 11:5–11

Now, for want of time, I will not read the entire text.

Clearly, from verse 8, we can see that because of the persistence of the individual in question,

he got what he wanted.

Because of his persistence, he will rise and give him as much as he needs.

So, taking this into our context, we can see that from persistence, God will eventually give us what we need.

The key phrase here is, yet, because of his persistence, importunity.

So, clearly, once we are praying and we see that answers may be denied,

that doesn't mean we should give up.

We are mandated to continue praying.

Now, there is the place of fasting in prayer.

Fasting is very important, and this has been touched upon during one of the earlier sessions.

Jesus' life on earth demonstrated the importance of fasting with prayer.

Now, there was a situation where Jesus' disciples could not cast out a demon.

They could not heal one of the individuals with epilepsy.

What did Jesus say here?

So, going to Mark chapter 9, verse 19 and 29, you can see what Jesus,

Mark 9:19

how Jesus highlighted the importance of fasting.

I'll just read the text briefly.

So, in Mark chapter 9, verse 19,

Mark 9:19

Jesus said,

So, this is the context.

The disciples had come to Jesus and asked him,

why couldn't we drive out this spirit?

And this was Jesus' answer to them.

He answered and said,

O faithless generation,

how long shall I be with you?

How long shall I bear with you?

Bring him to me.

You can see also from this text that he also spoke about faith.

He perceived the faithlessness of his disciples.

So, skipping to verse 29,

this is Jesus' answer to them after he had driven the demon out.

So, he said to them,

This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.

So, the words of Jesus on this matter,

This kind cannot come out except by prayer and fasting.

Clearly, clearly speaks to us in the sense that

there are some times when we pray,

when we are called to exercise faith and fasting

in order to obtain our answers.

From Scripture, the Old Testament saints fasted.

In the lives of Daniel, David, Nehemiah, Esther,

clearly we can see that they fasted at some point.

Even when we don't see clear answers to problems

or situations that have persisted over years and generations,

we must pray and never give up.

So, we'll go to the third and final portion of the session today.

That's intercessory prayer.

So, we're called to stand in the gap

to intercede on behalf of brethren

as outlined.

And I'll take the text for,

the opening text from Isaiah 59, verse 16.

Isaiah 59:16

Okay.

He saw that there was no man

and wondered that there was no intercessor.

Therefore, his own arm brought salvation

and his own righteousness.

It sustained him.

So, the previous verses in this chapter

had highlighted the abundance of evil

in Isaiah's day.

There was no justice.

Further verses show a description of God

clothed in his wrath

with the armor of God.

The Lord was astonished that there was no intercessor.

There was no one ready to plead on behalf of the nation.

Again, the prophet Ezekiel

also spoke about intercession.

In Ezekiel 22, verse 30,

Ezekiel 22:30

this is what the Lord said.

I sought for a man among them

who would build up the hedge

and stand in the gap before me

for the land

so that I would not destroy it.

But I found none.

Now, from Job 1, verse 10,

Job 1:10

we can clearly see that the hedge

that Ezekiel refers to

refers to spiritual,

divine spiritual protection,

where the devil,

when he went before the Lord,

said,

have you not put a hedge around him?

So, clearly,

Satan could see the divine

spiritual protection

around Job and his family.

Again, Ezekiel talks about the hedge

in Ezekiel 13,

Ezekiel 13:4

verse 4 and 5.

It says,

O Israel,

you prophets are like foxes

in the ruins.

You have not gone up

into the gaps,

nor did you build up the hedge

for the house of Israel

to stand in battle

on the day of the law.

So, what does intercessory prayer do?

It builds up the hedge

and it fills the gaps

in the war.

It's necessary for parents,

for siblings,

to stand in the gap

for their families

and for our communities

and our nation

to build the hedge

and to stand in the gap.

We must wrestle in prayer

for our families,

for our children,

for we are involved

in a daily,

ongoing spiritual battle

and we do not wrestle

against flesh and blood.

Spiritual warfare

is an extensive area

and it's probably

beyond the scope

of our session,

but I'll just touch

on some highlights

from spiritual warfare.

Now, what does

Paul say we wrestle against?

He says we wrestle

against principalities,

powers,

rulers of darkness

of this world,

against spiritual forces

of evil

in heavenly places.

this conflict.

This conflict involves

every believer

bought by the blood

of the Lord Jesus.

There are sometimes

some problems

and challenges

that are purely

not physical

and to seek

a physical solution

to these problems

will not lead

to any success.

we may have tried

many several approaches

and looked

for various solutions.

However,

from scripture,

we're exhorted

to take up

the armor of God

with prayer.

From Ephesians 6,

Ephesians 6:18

verse 18,

we must pray

in the spirit

always with all kinds

of prayer

and supplication.

and we're commanded

also to be alert

with all perseverance

and supplication

for all the saints.

So,

we're supposed to pray

for ourselves,

our families,

but then we're also called

to pray for each other.

Practically,

how do we do this?

We're supposed to pray

for the brother

and sister

sitting next to us

at all times.

Now,

I'll talk about

two examples briefly

in want of time

highlighting the conflict.

In Daniel chapter 10,

Daniel 10 · chapter mention

we can see where

Daniel was fasting

and praying

to learn more

about

God's plan

for Israel.

Now,

let's see what

the angel told him

in chapter 3

that

your words were heard

from the first day

you started to pray.

However,

Daniel did not receive

the answer

until after 21 days.

Why didn't Daniel

receive the answer?

The angel prince

of the Persian kingdom

resisted the angel

who was sent

with the message

to Daniel

for 21 days.

So,

this clearly

demonstrates

that there was

spiritual warfare

ongoing.

however,

Daniel persisted

in prayer

and fasted

for 21 days

and eventually

received a revelation

concerning God's people.

This shows

the need

for persistence

in prayer.

And again,

in 2nd Kings

chapter 6,

the king

of Syria

was hunting

down Elisha

and eventually

surrounded him

around the city

of Dothan.

Now,

Elijah's servants,

all Elijah's servants

could see

was the Syrian troops

that were surrounding

the city.

However,

Elisha

was,

Elisha's eyes

were opened

to the spiritual

conflict

ongoing

around him.

and he prayed

that

his servants'

eyes

would be opened

and God

opened the

servants'

eyes

to see

the chariots

of fires

and angelic

warriors

that were

surrounding

Elisha.

I'll also

mention

two Old Testament

heroes

whose lives

demonstrated

powerful

prevailing

prayer.

There are

numerous

examples

in Scripture.

However,

I'll delve

into the

lives

of

Elijah

and

Nehemiah.

One of the

key verses

in the life

of Elijah

is

James 5

16-18

where it

demonstrates

Elijah's

persistence

prayer.

This is one

of my

favorite verses

in the Bible.

The text

reads,

The effective

fervent

prayer of a

righteous man

availeth much.

Elijah was

a man

subject to

like passions

as we

are,

and he

prayed

earnestly

that it

might not

rain,

and it

rained not

on the

earth by

the space

of three

years and

six months.

And he

prayed again,

and the

heaven gave

rain,

and the

earth brought

forth her

fruit.

However,

note that

in 1 Kings

1 Kings 18 · chapter mention

chapter 18,

it required

one prayer

from Elijah

for fire

to consume

the sacrifice.

However,

he sent

his servant

to look

towards the

sea a

total of

seven times.

During this

time,

the Bible

tells us

that he

cast himself

down on

the ground

and put

his face

between his

knees.

This is

certainly

the push

of prayer

before the

living God.

Now,

let's see

that it

was only

after the

seventh time

that his

servant

came to

him and

said,

Behold,

there arises

a little

cloud out

of the sea

like a

man's

hand.

This

later

developed

into

black

storm

clouds

and

wind

leading

to

rain.

We see

that Elijah

was persistent

and fervent

in prayer.

He simply

did not

give up

after the

third or

fourth time.

Nehemiah

was also

a man

of prayer

and action.

On hearing

of the sad

and desperate

state of

the remnant

and the

state of

Jerusalem,

he wept,

mourned,

and fasted

for several

days and

interceded

for the

people of

Israel in

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1.

At the

end of the

chapter,

he asked

for favor

in the

sight of

the king.

In

chapter 2,

we see

him standing

before the

king,

the king

noticing his

sad appearance

and realizing

that there

was something

going on in

the heart

of Nehemiah.

what do

we see

Nehemiah

doing?

We see

him praying

to God

whilst in

the presence

of the

king,

when he

was asked

about his

personal

request.

We then

see the

mighty hand

of God

immediately

at work.

For think

about it,

which cup

bearer

would stand

before a

king and

be elevated

to a

governorship

if not

for the

mighty power

of God

which accompanied

his prayer?

In

later chapters,

you see

that Nehemiah

encountered

intense

opposition

from his

enemies

when building

the wall.

In

chapter 4,

verses 1

to 5,

we see

the fiery

darts of

the enemy

which were

held by

Sanbalat

and Tobias.

What was

Nehemiah's

response?

Was it

to engage

in a verbal

slanging

match or

physical

conflict?

No.

He prayed

to God

in verse

4 and

was heard.

In

chapter 15,

verse 15,

we can see

that God

brought their

counsel to

naught.

We can

see that

he prayed

to God

for strength

for the

work in

chapters 6

verse 9.

Jesus

commands us

on several

occasions to

watch and

to pray

always.

Paul also

exhorts us

in Colossians

Colossians 4:2

4 verse 2

to continue

in prayer

and watch

in the same

with thanksgiving.

Thus,

we must be

persistent

and prevail

in prayer.

Again,

we must

intercede for

our families,

our brethren,

the church,

our nation,

and the

world.

Amen.

Let's

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Heavenly Father,

we thank you

for your word

to us this

morning.

We pray

that whatever

was planted

in our hearts

will be watered

and spring

forth.

I pray

that you

cause us

to be persistent

and to prevail

in prayer.

I pray

that you

grant us

the grace

and the strength

not to lose

heart,

but to pray

continually.

I also

pray that you

also help

us to be

continually

aware

of the

spiritual

battle

that we

face

that will

appropriate

the armor

of God

always

and to be

strong in

you and

in the

power of

your might.

We thank

you and

bless you

Father for

answered

prayer

and for

the opportunity

to share

your word

this morning.

In Jesus'

name we

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

A cave.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Thanks, Precious.

Thanks, Precious.

Thank you.

That's cool.

Yep.

Okay.

Pshh!