ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF PRAYER Luke 18:1-14 First ...

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ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF PRAYER
Luke 18:1-14
First Presbyterian Church of Georgetown, Texas
Dr. Michael A. Roberts October 17, 2010
Luke 18:1-14
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. [2] He said, "In a certain
city there was a judge who neither feared God nor h ad respect for people. [3] In that city there was a widow who
kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' [4] For a while he refused; but later he said
to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, [5] yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I
will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.' " [6] And the Lord said, "Listen to
what the unjust judge says. [7] And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?
Will he delay long in helping them? [8] I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of
Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
[9] He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with
contempt: [10] "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. [11] The
Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues,
adulterers, or even like this tax collector. [12] I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' [13] But the tax
collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be
merciful to me, a sinner!' [14] I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who
exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."
When we are born, we do not know how to drive. We learn how to drive later on. Driving is a
learned skill.
For several months now, I have been trying to teach my daughter Elizabeth how to drive. What
a strange and scary six month period that is in any parent’s life. There is a balance of theory
and practice. Elizabeth started out in the classroom at one of the local driving schools. For a
month, she learned the rules of the road and the essential elements of driving. She also would
go out on the road with her driving teacher. But there was an important role for parents- give
your child as much practice as you can. So we started out in City Lights parking lot (don’t tell
them) getting the feel of the car. Then we graduated to neighborhoods, learning how to make
basic turns. She has learned how to navigate Williams Drive. She still has not gotten on the
freeway but we’ll be there by January when she gets her license.
As we have driven together over these months, I have seen driving through her eyes. I don’t
know if you know this but I’ve been reminded that driving is a very complicated task,
requiring lots of skills and awareness! In the beginning I kept telling Elizabeth about the huge
learning curve that driving entails. At the beginning it was very slow, we wondered if she

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would ever get it, but now she is so much more confident. Even though my blood pressure has
risen 30 points, she is learning how to drive. She wasn’t born knowing how to drive. Driving is
a learned skill.
Prayer is also a learned skill. No one is born knowing how to pray. Christians do not
automatically know how to pray. It’s a learned skill. Both theory and practice are important.
Prayer is central to the Christian life. Disciples of Christ, whether then or now, have always
wanted to know how to pray. The apostles of Jesus were the same way. They had followed
Jesus for a while now, and they wanted to know how to pray. Our text in Luke 11 begins, Jesus
“was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us
to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). Prayer is a learned skill. Anybody can learn how
to pray. And anyone can improve their prayer life.
The scriptures are full of guidance on how to pray. I have preached many sermons on prayer
over the years, focusing on those scriptures. Jesus provides a model prayer for us in the Lord’s
Prayer. We learn that prayer is a simple conversation with God, talking and listening. We learn
that prayer is strengthened by a connection to scripture. Our life of prayer is enriched when we
engage in many types of prayer- adoration, confession, thanksgiving, petition, intercession.
Jesus taught his disciples to pray and he is still teaching today with these two parables in Luke
18. He lifts up two essentials of prayer this morning: the importance of persistence and the
importance of humility. When we pray, we are persistent and we are humble.
We don’t always know why Jesus tells a parable. But in the case of these two parables, Luke
tells us exactly why Jesus spoke them. Verse 1: “Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray
always and not to lose heart.” Verse 9: “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that
they were righteous and regarded others with contempt.” From the get go then we know why Jesus
spoke these words.
We start with our need to pray always and not to lose heart. There are times when we do lose
heart. There are times when it seems like prayer doesn't accomplish a whole lot. There are
times when we pray and pray and nothing seems to happen.
We may be praying for someone's health. We pray that everything would turn out all right, but
it doesn't. We pray. We pray every single day, sometimes it seems like we pray every minute.
But nothing seems to happen, the disease continues unchecked.
Or maybe we’re praying for a relationship. Once we were good friends but something
happened that has caused a severe chasm in the friendship. There is misunderstanding,
bitterness, anger. We pray. We pray every day that God would intervene and transform
human hearts and bring about reconciliation. But day after day, the coldness remains, nothing
happens.

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Or maybe we're praying on a bigger scale- for the war in Afghanistan, for hungry people, for
the direction of our country. If we're concerned about our world at all, if we're passionate, we
pray. We pray a lot. There are times, Jesus acknowledges, when we might lose heart. So he
tells us a parable.
The parable of the unjust judge in verses 1 through 8 places the accent on persistence. The
context here is a small town where the judge has set up shop to settle disputes. This judge was
harsh. He did not fear God nor have respect for people, it says. The other character in the story
is a widow. The widow is a symbol in that society of powerlessness. There were few resources
to help widows in that time. This woman was involved in a dispute, she had been treated
unfairly and she went to the judge for justice.
We can imagine that initially the judge slammed the door in her face. But she would not give
up. She kept coming to his courtroom. She came up to him at parties. The judge would be out
walking his dog and run into her. Finally, the judge admits in verse 5 that because she keeps
bothering him, he will "grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming."
Now, Jesus is not saying that God is like an unjust, harsh judge. Some have made that equation
but Jesus is going beyond that. He is using a lesser to greater argument. If an unjust judge will
consider the persistent requests of a widow how much more will God, who loves and cares for
us, listen and respond to the requests of persistent prayers. Jesus is not equating the unjust
judge and God. Jesus is contrasting the two.
Jesus concludes the parable by saying: “will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him
day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them.”
The word “quickly” is a relative term. "Quickly" in verse 8 obviously doesn't mean
"immediately", at least from our perspective. Perhaps from God's perspective it does. For the
truth is that there are times when we pray and nothing much seems to happen. There are
times when we learn that God's response is no or not yet.
Notice also where the emphasis is in this parable. The emphasis is more on the resolution of
problems at the end of history rather than on answered prayer in the short term. Let's face itthere
will be times when malignancies lead to death and frozen relationships never thaw out,
and wars that will go on for years- all of this despite how much we pray. There are times when
we will get discouraged about the efficacy of our praying. Jesus admits that we are going to get
discouraged at times. We will get tired. We will lose heart. We will.
Jesus admits that with his telling of this parable. There will be times when with the early
church we will cry out “How long, O Lord?” This parable then is more about the resolution at
the end. Notice in verses 6 to 8 that the theme is God granting justice rather than God granting
requests. Notice too the link with the future coming of the Son of Man.

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In the end, God will heal all and raise them to new life. In the end, relationships will find
reconciliation. In the end, war will be no more. In the end, God will grant justice.
This is not to say that God doesn't respond to our prayers in the short-term. Certainly God
does. I could tell you stories of answered prayer in my own life and together we could
collectively fill up many hours rejoicing in God’s goodness. God will accomplish his will.
God's reign will come.
There are times when we see the results almost immediately. There are times when we wait
many weeks or years to see the fruit of our prayers. There are times when God accomplishes
God’s will only at the end. But it is sure! God will act. God will respond.
So we don't give up. We don't lose heart. We are called to walk by faith, trusting that God is at
work in the world and will one day bring justice for all of God's people.
What do you do though, when prayer itself becomes really, really hard? Sometimes life is
overwhelming. We’re going through a crisis, we lack energy, we’re upset and angry. Any
number of circumstances can cause prayer to be really hard. What do we do then?
Several things have been helpful to the saints through the ages. The first is to pray the psalms. I
have found great comfort in praying the psalms. I will turn to a psalm and simply read it,
understanding that I am expressing my concerns, my thoughts, my prayers to God. Not all the
psalms are as helpful at all points in our lives. Selection is critical but there is a psalm for
whatever you’re going through or wherever you are in your life. (Psalms that I suggest to get
you started include: 22, 23, 27, 42, 46, 51, 90, 95, 100, 121, 139, 150).
Also, when we don’t know what to pray or when we can’t pray, it is helpful to lean on the
prayers of others. When I don’t know what to pray, I look for and lean on other people
praying. We will gladly pray for your concern during worship. If your concern is more
confidential, please know that our prayer chain will lift up your concern to God. You can lean
on them. It is certainly my hope that our prayers of the people every Sunday morning voice
some of your concerns.
And when prayer is really hard it is also helpful to remember that the Holy Spirit intercedes
for us. Romans 8:26-27 says: “the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as
we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the
heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the
will of God.” And remember too, that Jesus himself is interceding for us. That’s what Jesus is
doing right at this moment. We say in the Apostle’s Creed: “he ascended into heaven, and
sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” What’s Jesus doing there when he
“sitteth”?

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The historic answer is found in Romans 8:34: “It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who
is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.” That’s what Jesus does now. He no
longer walks the earth healing and teaching. But his ministry continues. It is a ministry of
intercession for you and me. It is seeing our concerns and praying for us.
When praying becomes really hard, we pray the psalms, lean on the prayers of others, and
realize that the Holy Spirit and Jesus himself are interceding for us.
The second parable is a nice complement to the first one. This time the theme is not persistence
but humility. Once again, there are two main characters. You have to understand the
reputations of these characters to fully understand the parable.
The Pharisee is a representative of a religious party which was well known for their strict
adherence to the law. They were respected and esteemed as the most spiritual people in their
society. The tax collector, on the other hand, was reviled by most Jews. The taxes for one thing
went to the hated Romans, the Romans who ruled over them. In addition, the tax collectors
often abused their position by overcharging and putting the excess into their pockets. To top it
all off, these tax collectors were fellow Jews. They were perceived as political traitors and
religiously unclean.
Those were the reputations of the two, those were their roles in society. But appearances can be
deceiving. By reversing their reputations, Jesus makes a point about the spirit or attitude with
which we approach God.
Notice the content of the Pharisee's prayer: “Thank you God that I am not like other people- all
those people who are immoral and just can't get their lives together, all the poor and homeless,
all the “flakes” and uncommitted. As you know, God, I fast twice a week, attend worship every
Sunday, and unlike the uncommitted people, I give you ten percent of my gross income.
Amen.”
Is that a prayer? Is that a person communicating with God? I like what William Barclay says
here: this is not a prayer, this is an "essay in self-congratulation."
Notice the content then of the tax collector's prayer. This person simply prays: "God be merciful
to me a sinner!."
The contrast in attitude here is significant. The Pharisee has no sense of need. His spirituality is
totally independent of God. He is spiritual enough to be virtuous but not spiritual enough to be
humble.
This can happen to us. We can be just like this Pharisee: spiritual, knowledgeable, committed
but self-important and lacking in compassion. There is a common theme between these two
parables. The unjust judge and the Pharisee both disrespect people, they both regard others

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with contempt, they both look down on the spiritually less committed. Jesus told this parable,
verse 9, “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with
contempt.”
So the tax collector becomes our model. The tax collector recognizes great need. This person
recognizes that God is needed desperately in their life. This person throws himself on God's
mercy.
When we "succeed" all by ourselves, the normal tendency is to either boast of our
accomplishments or compare ourselves to other less "successful" spiritual people. But when we
recognize that we need God's mercy and strength and grace to fully live- that can be so
liberating. When we say “God, I can't do this anymore. I need help. I need your guidance. I
can't do this myself.” When we throw ourselves on God's mercy- that's a great place to be. Far
better, Jesus says than thinking we are "sitting pretty" spiritually. “All who exalt themselves will
be humbled, he said, “all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The late Alex Haley, who authored Roots used to have a picture in his office of a turtle sitting
on top of a fence post. The picture reminded him of a lesson he learned early in his life: If you
see a turtle on a fence post, you know it had some help. Alex Haley used to say: "Any time I
start thinking, Wow, isn't this marvelous what I've done! I look at that picture and remember
how this turtle- me - got up on that post."
Most of us are like that turtle. We had some help along the way- from parents, teachers, youth
leaders, coaches, spouses, from God. Humility is not about belittling ourselves or lacking
confidence. Humility is simply having a true perspective. Charles Spurgeon, the 19th century
preacher, once said that "humility is to make a right estimate of oneself." The apostle Paul in
Romans 12:3 writes: “I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought
to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has
assigned.” That’s humility. Humility is recognizing that we had some help to get up on that
fence post.
So we approach God with humility- recognizing our place and our need for God. We approach
God with respect, reverence, and awe. When we pray, we recognize God's sovereignty and
great love for us. We don't need to demand and rant at God. The thing about persistence is
that being persistent can easily turn into being demanding. Being humble can save us from
that.
And so we pray. We realize that God will listen and give us justice. We know that God loves us
and wants us to keep expressing our concerns. When we pray we also recognize our role. God
is God and we are not. We trust in God's continual oversight and deep love for the world. We
pray then with persistence and humility.

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Prayer is a learning experience. The sooner a Christian understands that, the better off they’ll
be. No Christian knows everything about prayer. When you were born, you didn’t know how
to pray. All of us are in the process of learning to pray. All of us. We learn the theory from the
scriptures. And now we have to practice by actually praying. We still need to take it outsidefor
some on-street praying.
Prayers of the People
Our God, we come into your presence with gratefulness. This act of praying, of communicating
with you we often take for granted. We pause this day to offer you our praise that you are
accessible, open to our cries.
You call us this day to keep on praying, to continue to yearn for your reign in our lives and in
this world. We confess, Dear Lord, that there are times when we lose heart, when we doubt
your provision, when we fail to have the faith that Jesus looks for. Give us glimpses of your
sovereignty, of your overarching purpose in our lives. We desire to trust in you more fully.
Enable us to trust you when the way ahead in dark and uncertain.
We pray for those who have lost hope, for those who have given up praying long ago, for those
who fail to see your action in the world. Inspire us with your great love! May your Spirit move
in our lives: changing, shaping, and setting us free.
We are grateful this morning for our worship together, for the opportunity to fellowship in
your name, to learn more of your word, and for the privilege to reach out in your name. We
thank you for children in our midst and for saints who have joined the church triumphant.
Help us in this church, Holy Spirit, to be faithful, to be committed, to be compassionate. We
pray in the name of the One who still prays for us, Jesus Christ. Amen.