We began a brand-new sermon series this week titled "Parables." A parable, as we learned during the weekend message, is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. During His ministry on Earth, Jesus told parables in order to teach important truths about God and His kingdom. The parable we are studying this week is found in Luke 18. It is all about prayer, our means of talking with the God of the universe, who delights in hearing from us. What is interesting about this parable is that, before we read it, Luke, the author of the book of Luke, tells us why Jesus told it to His disciples: “to show that they should always pray and never give up” (verse 1). As we study this parable from Jesus, it will be helpful to keep Jesus’ purpose in telling this parable in mind.
What things hold people back from praying and growing in their prayer lives?
1. Read Luke 18:1-5. Why do you think the widow came to the judge “repeatedly” in this passage of Scripture?
Luke 18:1-5
One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2“There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
2. Read Luke 18:6-8. Contrast what Jesus reveals about God the Father versus the judge in this passage of Scripture.
Luke 18:6-8
Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”
3. Contrast our position as we pray and come before God versus the widow’s position in Luke 18 when she went before the judge. How does contrasting our position versus the widow’s position encourage you in your own prayer life?
4. Read Philippians 4:6-7. After reading this Scripture, what would you tell someone who wants to grow in their prayer life, but doesn’t know where to start about prayer and why prayer is important?
Philippians 4:6-7
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
1. When it comes to requests and needs you bring before God, do you find yourself praying persistently? Why or why not?
2. Describe the impact of prayer, especially praying persistently, based on the Scripture you read. How have you experienced the impact of prayer in your own life?
3. What is something you are praying for right now? How will the Scripture we studied today impact how you bring that request or need before God?
After talking about prayer, it is only natural that we take a few minutes to do just that: pray. Get alone before God and pray. Specifically, pray about that request you have been praying for repeatedly, or the request that you have given up praying for. Present your needs and requests before your God who desires to hear from you. Commit to continue to pray for that request or need to God every day throughout the rest of this week and beyond.
We were reminded during the weekend message that when we pray, our heart posture matters. After all, God is all-knowing, which means He knows the motivation of our hearts when we come to Him in prayer. Proverbs 16:2 says it this way, “People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.” As a result, we must carefully examine our hearts and the motivations behind them when we come to God in prayer. For the next few moments, turn to Scripture to look at three heart-postures that honor God when we turn to Him in prayer: humility, surrender, and thanksgiving.
Our human nature is prone to selfishness, focusing on our needs and wants. If we are not careful, this attitude can filter into our prayer lives. Scripture calls us to let go of our selfishness and live with humility, considering the work God is doing in our world and the needs of those around us. This includes our attitudes when we approach God in prayer. What honors God is a heart posture of humility rather than selfishness.
1. Read James 4:1-3.
James 4:1-3
What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
2. What does James warn against in this passage of Scripture?
3. How does praying selfishly impact our prayers, according to this passage of Scripture?
4. How can we fight against our tendency toward selfishness in our own prayer lives?
A common misnomer about prayer is that its purpose is to bend God’s will to meet our desires and needs. In reality, it is the opposite. The purpose of prayer is actually to surrender our own will, needs, and desires to God the Father. After all, God is the author and sustainer of this world and everything in it, and He is in control.
1. Read Luke 22:39-44, words that Jesus prayed shortly before His arrest and crucifixion on the cross.
Luke 22:39-44
Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. 40There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.” 41He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 43Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.
2. Describe Jesus’ mental state as He prayed before God the Father.
3. What does Jesus teach us about prayer in this passage of Scripture?
4. How would having an attitude of surrender impact our prayer lives?
We often think of prayer as our opportunity to present our needs to God. Indeed, we are invited to go before God and present our needs to Him. Presenting our needs to God is only one aspect of prayer. You see, when we focus on our needs and what we do not have, it is easy to lose sight of what we do have and what God has blessed us with. Our tendency to forget is exactly why thankfulness is necessary. You see, God has given each of us gifts, both large and small, and remembering all He has given us and showing gratitude will help us keep the right focus as we come before God in prayer.
Read Psalm 95:1-5.
Psalm 95:1-5
Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. 3For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. 4He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. 5The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.
2. Why are we to come before God with an attitude of thanksgiving, according to this passage of Scripture?
3. How does showing gratitude impact us?
4. What is one thing that you are thankful for today?
After reading about three heart postures that honor God when we pray, reflect. Answer the questions below and discuss what you have learned in your Bible study with your group.
1. Which of the heart postures comes most naturally to you, and why?
2. Which of the heart postures do you need to grow in, and how can you take a step toward growing in that area this week?
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