Luke 18:1-8
Praying When God Won’t Answer
The parable before is very interesting for it acknowledges a truth
that most Christians know but are hesitant to acknowledge. That
truth is that sometimes God will delay His answer to prayer. In
fact, the parable not only acknowledges that truth, it clearly states
it
Luke 18:7 …God… bears long with them.
Let’s consider some truths:
I. God may tarry longer when the days are evil.
A. Notice that this parable does not stand alone.
Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them….
1. The word "and" is joining this parable to what Jesus was
saying in the last chapter.
2. \\#Luke 17:22-30\\ The topic is the return of Jesus to
establish His kingdom.
3. Why is Jesus giving THIS parable in conjunction with the
last days?
a. As I do often, I point out that the Bible does not
say.
b. My speculation is that God may delay answering prayers
in the last days.
c. Note again: \\#Luke 18:4-7\\.
(1) The point of the parable is that the Judge, God,
may not for awhile answer your prayer, but keep
praying, at some point He will and when He does
answer your prayer, He will do it quickly.
(2) So the thought is, "Keep praying for God delaying
an answer is not the same as God denying an
answer.
B. There are other passages in the Bible where God indicates He
may not answer some of the most righteous saints prayers for
awhile—especially during an evil day.
1. Before I give them to you, let’s consider what an evil
day is.
a. All of man’s history (since the fall) can be recorded
as one of four days.
(1) The evil day - When man is determined to do
wrong regardless of what God thinks.
(2) The judgment days
(a) God brings some evil power to the forefront
to oppress the people.
(b) This oppression shows man that is needs God
and changes mankind’s mind about God.
(3) The day of deliverance - God raises up a leader
or even a nation to deliver the oppressed.
(4) The day of continuance - A time when things
maintain a status quo for a time period.
b. These days are typically cyclical; that is, they
usually follow a cycle,
(1) You can see this clearly in the book of Judges.
(a) Israel would forgot God and turn to
wickedness.
(b) God would send an enemy to oppress them.
i. The enemy might be the Philistines, the
Midianites, the Syrians, or whoever.
ii. The enemy might rule over them for20,
30, or more years.
(c) Then God would raise up a judge—a Samson,
Ehud, a Gideon—to deliver them.
(d) Under that judge’s rule, things would
continue for a while.
(2) Then Israel would turn their back on God and the
cycle would start over again.
c. Can you guess where America is in the cycle of days?
(1) I am a baby-boomer, born after WWII.
(2) My parents lived during the oppression of
Mussolini, Hitler, and Hirohito.
(3) They lived during the deliverance of the Allies.
(a) A group of nations banded together to defeat
the Axis nations.
(b) The Allies were the U.S., Britain , Russia,
Canada, Australia, China, and others.
(4) I was born and have lived most of my life in the
day of continuance.
(5) But somewhere along the way, we have entered the
days of evil.
(a) I do not think it started all at once, but
gradually people pushed God further and
further out of their lives and minds.
(b) Today, most people do not care what God
thinks.
(c) There are evil days.
2. In the evil days, God may delay answering our prayers.
Jer 15:1 Then said the LORD unto me, Though
Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind
could not be toward this people: cast them out
of my sight, and let them go forth.
Eze 14:14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel,
and Job, were in it, they should deliver but
their own souls by their righteousness, saith
the Lord GOD.
Eze 14:20 Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in
it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall
deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but
deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
a. God never says that He will NOT answer prayers or
deliver His people.
b. He does say that He may "bear long" with them and
that the effect of the righteous to move God for
others will be greatly limited.
3. Why?
a. Because the people do not care for God. They will
not obey God. They will not repent.
b. So God may distance Himself, His mercy, even the
answers to our prayers from Him.
II. How do we pray in the evil day?
A. Pray with respect.
Matt 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy
name.
1. Never lose sight that the One to whom we are praying is
the God of all.
Proverbs 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear
the LORD, and depart from evil.
2. I understand the frustration of seeking something from One
we cannot see and barely understand.
a. I would guess that we have all been frustrated in the
difficulty of prayer.
b. Although we may be forgiven and filled with God’s
Spirit, we are still separated from Him by sinful
flesh and a carnal mind.
c. But becoming arrogant and hostile with God is a fool’s
mission that will not move God to answer you any
quicker.
3. What will move God? Brokenness and humility
Ps 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of
a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a
contrite spirit.
4. Don’t swell up against God but bend down.
B. Pray with discipline.
Mr 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can
come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
1. Fasting requires discipline of the flesh.
2. It is us telling our flesh what to do and not our flesh
telling us what to do.
3. Prayer is hard work and a spiritual exercise.
a. Prayer is us spending the time and energy to pray.
b. Prayer is us rearranging the priorities of life so
that God and prayer come first.
c. Prayer is us humbling ourselves to pray consistently
and continuously.
d. Prayer is us throwing ourselves upon the mercy and
goodness of God—and no other.
e. Prayer is us denying our flesh its desires and needs
so that we can seek God’s face.
C. Pray with faith.
Mr 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things
soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye
receive them, and ye shall have them.
1. Another of the many reasons why God may delay answering
our prayers in the evil day is because few with believe
that God will answer prayer.
2. Note in our text:
Luke 18:8 …Nevertheless when the Son of man
cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
3. These verses center on the last days and God asks the
question, "Will there be anyone who has faith when Jesus
comes?"
a. The very implication of the question is that there
will not be many IF any.
b. Here faith means, "Will there be any who believe when
Jesus returns?"
4. Faith is always required for any relationship with God.
a. It is required for salvation.
b. It is required for service.
c. It is required for prayer.
d. It is required for reading the Bible.
e. It is required for daily living.
5. If you want God answer your prayers, make certain you are
praying in God’s will and then believe He will answer
you.
D. Pray with determination.
Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall
be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he
that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh
it shall be opened.
1. Jesus has plainly told us in this parable that God may
delay answering our prayers.
2. What are we to do? Keep on praying!
a. Pray more often.
b. Pray harder.
c. Pray louder.
d. Believe more.
e. Trust more.
f. Thank Him for answering it before He does often.
E. Pray with purity.
1John 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of
him, because we keep his commandments, and do
those things that are pleasing in his sight.
F. Pray with service.
1Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the
work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord.
G. Pray with surrender.
1John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we
have in him, that, if we ask any thing according
to his will, he heareth us:
1. When a Christian prays, they are never to pray for their
will to be done but for God’s. (Jesus in the garden.)
2. God has never promised to change His will for ours.
a. Prayer does not bind or force God.
b. Prayer brings us into God’s will, not God into ours.
3. How does one know if what we are praying for is out of
God’s will?
a. The surest way is that God does not do what we asked.
4. No is an answer and it means one of two things.
a. What we were asking for was not God’s will.
b. What we were asking for was not the will of those for
whom we were praying.
(1) God will not force another to do what they do not
want to do.
(2) God will influence them, but God will not force
them.
5. In all of this, we must be surrendered.
a. Surrendered enough to hear if God says no.
b. Surrendered enough to do whatever God may want us to
do to influence others.
c. Surrendered enough to accept no if that is what God
says.
You and I are living in the evil day. Even more, I believe we are
living in the last days. Praying does work but you will have to
work at praying. Let’s find God’s will and pray it in.
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