The Jesus Way
The Power of Persistence (Prayer)
Sunday, September 28, 2025
Welcome:
Call to Worship: Psalm 89:14-18 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you. 15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, Lord. 16 They rejoice in your name all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness. 17 For you are their glory and strength,
and by your favor you exalt our horn. 18 Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
Let’s pray
Praise songs
Intro: How often do you wonder,
“Can You give me a ballpark timeline God for Your kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven?”
Because You God told Your people to pray for this and we’re well over 2000 years later from Your Son walking the earth and it’s pretty apparent Your kingdom is not functioning on earth as you have it in heaven. We are a long way off yet. So, is it soon? Is it another 2000 years from now because there is so much more work to do?
The truth is we don’t know. We’re told to just be ready for Christ’s return because when He comes back, it will be like a thief in the night. Be sure of this-We all want to be ready. We all want to be right with God and in relationship with Jesus. We want to be walking in the light of His presence.
But inquiring minds still want to know right? The younger generation might not get that reference.
Or do we really want to know?
There is much we don’t know, so many details God withholds from us as to when things will come about, when our prayers will be answered and I believe that is out of His infinite goodness and kindness. He knows we can be easily overwhelmed, frightened by what is coming and so often take measures into our own hands when we think we have it all figured out. Jesus said to His disciples, “I have much more to tell you, more than you can bear right now.” Think about some of the things you have endured in your life already- within your marriages, or finding your spouse, or raising children, or going to school, or entering certain jobs and losing others, changing careers, moves, mission trips, health challenges for you or loved ones….if you had known all things up front do you think you might just say for some of it, “thanks but no thanks God! I don’t want all that. I would never want to do that. I won’t make it through that.” And yet….here we all are, maybe holding on by a thread, maybe our head is bobbing up and down barely above water some days, but God meets us right where we are, and He says, hold on Child. I have more for you and we’re getting through this together! Hold on, for I have you and I will never let you go. I’m about to do something amazing in your life, you can’t see it or understand it right now, but trust Me. It’s going to be great! Later you will be able to see more clearly.
You know this to be true if you have walked with God for any amount of time, you can look back and say Wow I’m so glad I didn’t know that was coming and yet I’m so glad for how I came through it or that I stepped into that opportunity!
There is great purpose in God withholding all the details and only giving us what we need season by season, or even moment by moment at times. He wants us to see Him, as our Good Shepherd, always caring for us, leading us each day to places of green pasture and still waters. He wants us to depend fully on Him and trust in His goodness over our lives. We don’t need details and timelines to trust in Him-in fact-knowing those I believe would make us less trusting and dependent on Him. We just need to know Him, who He is, His character, His heart and His love for us. He wants us to place every care, every plea of our heart, into His hands and leave it with Him to handle as He desires-not how we think it should go.
We don’t need to know when Jesus will come back, if it’s in our lifetime yet or generations from now. We simply need to know Him and trust whatever we endure here on this earth won’t compare to the glory we’ll share with Him for all eternity. But we DO want to be ready for His return. We want our hearts right with God.
And while we’re here, we have a command and a purpose to live out: we are called to pray with persistence according to God’s will and for His name to be glorified throughout the earth. We pray for our salvation to be worked out, for godliness to grow within us, to be a vessel for His love and truth to be shared. We pray God’s kingdom to come here on earth as it is in heaven, until that reality is fully achieved. We pray in confident hope. We don’t lose heart by what we see. We don’t lose heart in our waiting. We don’t lose heart when God seems silent. Instead, we cling to His promises and we speak them in prayer to the God who hears and we don’t ever give up. We persevere in faithful prayer.
I say all of this knowing full well, there are moments in our humanity we want to give up or we even do give up, because it seems utterly hopeless; it seems too far gone; it seems too broken; it seems an impossible feat.
Have you been there at some point? Are you there now with something in your life?
Can I encourage and remind you who your God is? Lord God Almighty!
Can I encourage and remind you where your focus should be? Not on where you are limited but on Him who is limitless! Can I encourage you to remember what seems impossible to you and me is possible to our God! Can I remind you that our God loves mercy and all we need to do is cry out to Him, make our pleas known and then rest in His care. He will always make a way. He will shine light where we can’t see. He will clear out confusion. He will soften the hardest of hearts and mend the deepest wounds…if we pray with persistence and faith.
We need more than ever to be a praying people who are persistent in our prayers; who don’t give up; who continue to seek the Lord and trust in His timing that His purposes will prevail.
Jesus taught a parable about the importance of persistent prayer I want to share with you. He knows our condition. He knows how we can feel like giving up, lose hope, become lazy or complacent or just plain bitter and He’s saying to all His children keep on praying-without ceasing pray. Make it your lifestyle. God hears you and your prayers move His heart. Let’s take in the parable and then talk about how our prayers can lead us into continuous praise of our God.
Luke 18: 1-8 NIV
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For some time he refused. But finally, he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Jesus is using an example of someone in authority who can offer justice, but who was corrupt and selfish, looking out for his own interests over the people. He likely was a leader who looked for who would offer him the greatest bribes to rule in their favor and focused his efforts on those who would make him even more rich.
The widow had nothing to offer him and, in those times, we must remember there wasn’t much opportunity for women to earn a living on their own. They were subject to what their husbands could provide and when a husband died, they hoped there would be enough for them to get by. This widow was being taken advantage of and was at risk of having what rightfully belonged to her taken away by someone else. The right thing to do would be to hear her case, have compassion on her in her state, and make sure all dealings were fair and just. The judge didn’t care about any of that and brushed her off repeatedly. But the widow wouldn’t take no for an answer. She hounded him. When he arrived at work, she was there. When he went to leave, she was there. She didn’t give him a moment’s peace until finally-not because kindness and compassion got the better of him, solely driven by wanting peace and quiet, the judge concedes and grants justice in her favor.
Have you ever been there-maybe with your kids, your pets, an organization who constantly reaches out…you give in and give something not because you truly want to from your heart, but just because then you don’t have to listen to them pester you any longer. Finally….peace.
Jesus shares this extreme example because He is making a strong point that if someone who is wicked and selfish like the judge in this case will eventually bring about justice, how much more would our loving Father bring about justice for us, who are His chosen ones, His elect? He wants us to know with confidence that God is a just and loving God so there is never a moment, that He is not caring for us and bringing things about for our good. There is never a time He is delaying because He doesn’t care about our needs. He is the opposite of this judge. If there are delays in God’s answer or provision there is a reason, and it is for our longer-term good.
So Jesus asks us all a question, when the Son of Man returns, will He find you in faith? Then He calls us to action- pray and don’t give up because we serve a righteous God who is faithful and true.
Persistent & Righteous Prayers Move God.
Ephesians 6:18 NLT 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
When we pray in the spirit, we are listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to direct our prayers to the will of God. We are not coming before God and treating Him like our Genie to grant all of our wishes. That’s not who He is and we should never lower Him to such regard. He is God-not here to please our every whim or act upon our command. We first pray for Him to change us to be more like Him, for Him to draw hearts to Himself, to show us the way to walk, to increase our faith, to increase our love for others, to help us respond with compassion, grace and forgiveness. We pray for God to reveal how He wants to use us to show others the love and hope of Jesus. These are prayers the spirit will manifest within you. These are prayers that move the heart of God.
When you bring a genuine and contrite heart before God, you can trust He hears you. Silence is not ignoring or indifferent. He is listening and moving according to His timing and for His purposes to be accomplished. Let us have this confidence as David did when he prayed.
Psalm 18:6 NLT 6 But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help.
He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.
The prophet Daniel made this plea in his prayer:
Daniel 9:18 NIV 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.
When we pray may we always remember, we are able to come before our Holy God who hears us, not because we are righteous or that our prayers are so impressive to Him; we are able to come to Him for help because of His great mercy. Let us be humble and thankful when we approach God.
God is Righteous, Just, Love and Sovereign. Always.
Psalm 89:14 NIV Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
As we pray, we must learn to acquire a right perspective of God. He is not subject to us, our demands, our timelines, and our wishes. We are subject to Him. He does not act according to our limited reasoning. He is not caught up in our momentary pleasure and comfort; He is focused on developing our godly character which will bring us joy and peace for eternity. He is focused on lost souls being saved through Christ.
What we think is a delay because we are impatient, is not a delay at all to God. If we could remember this truth, it would help us remain in peace in our waiting. God is right on time and gives exactly enough time to allow all things to come together for the collective good-not just what we think we want in the moment.
When we think God isn’t listening, isn’t responding, isn’t caring… we couldn’t be more wrong.
He might very well be giving us opportunity and space to grow in the fruits of the spirit, to grow in faith, to learn to fully depend on Him, to learn to rejoice in Him over things of this world.
Because far too often it’s only when we are sensing our own insufficiency that we begin to pray for God’s help. God wants us to pray first with every need and to invite Him into every part of our lives to bless and care for.
Israel cried out over and over again feeling God didn’t care and felt He abandoned them. God had this to say to them and to us yet today as His children.
Isaiah 49: 14-16 NLT 14 Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.”
15 “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! 16 See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.
He sees you-always before Him and He cares. You are never forgotten to the Lord. Even in times of hardship, He sees and He is moved with compassion.
What is our right approach to God?
1 Peter 5: 6-7 NIV 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
We can trust our God, every moment, every season, in every delayed answer to prayer. We can trust Him and know He hasn’t forgotten us. Remain faithful and keep praying for that which burdens your heart.
God Works All Things for Good.
God’s goodness is different then what we might see as good or think would be good right now. So often we don’t understand why we must endure such difficulty; walk through the trials we do; or wait when we know He can just speak a word and it is so. Why make us wait Lord?
For our good, or for the good of others around us. Sometimes the waiting isn’t for us; it’s for someone else.
John 13:7 NLT 7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
We don’t often understand now, but have you had you times waited for something for so long and the answer came later and you could look back and say, now I get it…now I see what you were doing God, and by the way, thank You for not listening to me. Your way is so much better!
Christian singer, Forrest Frank has a song on the radio, “Your Way’s Better” It’s an upbeat song that speaks of how we try to do things our way-until our head hurts-so stubborn- to finally surrendering and saying just lead me Lord because finally I have learned, Your way is truly better. So let’s go that direction first.
We may not ever understand in this lifetime why some things happen the way they do, but the promise is one day we will. I pray that gives you hope and peace- one day all will be made known.
For now, we are to trust in God and rest in Him, as sovereign, faithful, and true.
Exodus 14:14 NIV 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Practice stillness as you lift up prayers of thanksgiving for all God has done and what He will yet do. Still your anxious and fearful minds in who God is.
Romans 8:28 NIV 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
When we’re praying and answers aren’t coming, we can speak this truth in praise and worship, for it will encourage our hearts.
Maybe you have heard an answer from God, a confirmation of something He will do or bring about, but you’re still waiting. Let us lift up thankfulness that God has heard us and is making a way. Praising God in our prayers keeps us in hope and even joy while we wait for Him to bring it about.
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 NLT 16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Conclusion: No matter the length of time, may we know our God hears, our God cares, and our God is sovereignly working on our behalf. Let us persevere with faithful prayers, aligning with His will and let us not lose hope! Rejoice in the Lord! For we are in the hands of Almighty God and He is in control-always. Let us rest in this truth and walk in His peace and sovereignty.
Let’s pray.
Offering:
Prayers:
Final Song
Final Blessing: Romans 15:13 13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you
trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
