Focused Prayer - Luke 18:1–8 , Sermon By Father.Mungamuri Devadasu

 

Sermon on Focused Prayer

Based on Luke 18:1–8

Dear lovers of prayer, May the meditation of today’s Word lead us into the blessing of intentional, focused prayers as taught by our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dr. Martin Luther once said:

“When I pray for a person, I bring that individual clearly before my mind.”

Likewise, when we enter into prayer, we should first bring the Lord to our remembrance, and then consciously bring the person we are interceding for into our mental focus. Imagine them standing before you, and present their case before the Lord with sincerity and detail.

This means we must:

1.    Speak to God about the person’s character—both their strengths and shortcomings.

2.    Mention the questions or confusions that trouble them.

3.    Present the trials and temptations they are currently facing.

Like one submitting a report, lay all these matters before the Lord and then earnestly make your petition on their behalf. After your prayer, say with faith:
"Lord, I believe You have heard my prayer. Thank You!"

A missionary once used this vivid illustration: “If a hunter throws a stone at a branch or a leaf instead of the bird itself, will the bird fall? No. In the same way, if we pray without aiming at the specific weakness in a person’s life, our prayers may not yield results.”

Even if the hunter strikes the bush, or wounds the leg, or grazes the wing, the bird might limp—but it will still escape. But if the hunter strikes the bird’s throat, it falls instantly. So too, a prayer aimed at a person’s specific spiritual need can bring about real breakthrough. Though this analogy may seem simple, it teaches us a profound truth: Prayer becomes powerful when it is specific.

Unfocused prayers result in:

·        Wasted time

·        Wasted words

·        Fruitless songs

·        Ineffective scripture reading

·        Knees bent in vain

Without spiritual focus, the soul of the person we pray for will not be reached.
Prayers without aim do not bear fruit.

A hunter once said, “To catch a bird, one must aim at the perch. Yes, indeed. If I took three snares, I would return with three birds.” In the same way, for every focused prayer, a soul should be won. If, at a given moment, you pray specifically for one person, that soul should be reached through that prayer.

The Results of Prayer:

1. Prayer Brings Glory, Salvation, and Fellowship: Our prayers must result in bringing glory and praise to the Father, salvation to the unsaved, and deeper fellowship with God for those who are already saved.

2. Prayer Must Produce Fruit in Others:

• If you pray for someone's salvation, they must be saved.
• If you pray for someone’s healing, they must be restored.
• If you intercede for someone in poverty, prosperity should follow.
• If you pray over conflict, peace must be the outcome.

3. Prayer Deepens Fellowship with God: As you approach the Lord frequently in prayer, you begin to develop intimacy with Him. That closeness opens the door to spiritual fellowship, drawing you deeper into His presence.

Note: Many works are being done today to expand God’s Kingdom on earth. These works are tools of the Kingdom’s advancement. Prayer is one such divine tool. If we truly understand this, we will say: “Lord! I believe You are using my prayer as an instrument for the growth of Your Kingdom. To You be the glory!”

And when you pray in faith and say: “Lord! I believe You have heard my prayer. Thank You”— you give honor to the Father.

When you declare: “Lord! I believe You have fulfilled my prayer according to Your will. Thank You,” you bring praise to His name.

Important Reminder: When we pray for someone and that person is saved, the glory belongs to the Lord, not to us. If we had not prayed persistently, we would not have gained familiarity and closeness with the Father. And if the Father had not allowed us to draw near to Him, how could such intimacy have been possible? Therefore, every answered prayer, every opportunity to pray, every result seen through prayer is cause to say:

“Thank You, Lord, for granting me this privilege. To You be all the praise.”

Jesus the Lord taught His disciples various subjects from time to time.
For example: prayer, fasting, the Kingdom of Heaven, and so on. He spoke briefly, yet His words had a profound impact on people’s hearts. Even though His teachings were short, they accomplished great things. We do not have enough time even to fully explain one of His short sayings. Many books have been written about Him, yet preachers focus only on the most important among them.

“We must pray always and not lose heart.”
When we look at human life and its troubles, even a godly person can feel discouraged during difficult times.

What is "discouragement"?

1.      When you decide to pray but can't find a place to do so.

2.     Even if a place is available, there’s no time.

3.     Even if time is available, there’s no opportunity.

4.     Even when there's opportunity, physical weakness or illness brings discouragement.
Heat or rain may also become reasons for giving up. Similarly, people feel discouraged in Bible reading and prayer.

The words of Jesus contain two parts:

1.      We must pray without losing heart – that is one part.

2.     We must pray always – that is the second part.
Both aspects are related to prayer. Therefore, divine prayer must be done in both ways.

When does discouragement arise?

1.      When there’s no place,

2.     No time,

3.     No opportunity.
If one is discouraged, that is not true prayer. If you are praying while being discouraged, it is not the kind of prayer Jesus desires. True prayer is that which is done without discouragement.

In Luke 18, Jesus told a parable: a woman made her plea many times. From our perspective, she was not discouraged. The earlier mentioned three reasons typically cause discouragement. But if we observe the parable of the woman, even though the judge didn’t resolve her issue, she didn’t give up. Similarly, we are praying to God, and He must solve our problems. But even if He does not answer immediately, we must not grow weary or give up. To teach this principle, Jesus gave this parable.

Is God listening to our prayers? Sometimes, we do not see immediate answers. Even after many days of praying, we may not receive a response. Yet even then, we must not lose heart. Even if there is no answer after numerous prayers, we must not grow discouraged.
Our responsibility is to pray without discouragement.

There are two kinds of justice:

1.      One is our responsibility—the justice we must fulfill.

2.     The other is God's justice—which is to respond to and fulfill our prayers.

God has His part, and we have ours. Our duty is to pray without becoming weary. God's part is to hear our petitions and act upon them. His justice follows only after we fulfill our part rightly. Therefore, when we do not receive answers to our prayers, it often means we have not fulfilled our responsibility in prayer. In other words, we have not prayed in the manner that aligns with divine justice. That’s why there is no fulfillment.

In the parable, though the judge did not respond in the beginning, in the end he called her and gave her justice. Likewise, God will surely hear us—even if there is a delay, it is only because the situation requires it. God hears the prayers of His faithful ones and executes justice, so He will surely respond. Hence, we must pray without growing weary.

Even though we've been taught from childhood that God hears prayer, we still grow weary. Why? Because our faith is not full. Even if there's a delay, we must not lose heart, for God surely listens.

People often get discouraged due to the four reasons mentioned earlier. When we don't see answers from God, we become disheartened. But we must believe that He will surely hear and show mercy. Instead of focusing on the reasons to lose heart, we must fix our eyes on this truth: God will certainly hear us and judge righteously. That truth must fuel our prayers.

It is the confidence that God hears that should continually inspire us to pray.

There are two main causes that hinder prayer: one is the lack of time, and the other is the lack of opportunity. Yet, since the Bible clearly says that God hears us, that very assurance should stir and encourage us to pray. We must pray continually without becoming discouraged. This understanding gives us strength and boldness. By casting off discouragement, we become capable of sustaining continual prayer. But if discouragement is not removed, prayer eventually ceases. Therefore, we must never allow ourselves to fall into a state of discouragement. Even when our petitions are not yet fulfilled, we should not grow weary or lose heart.

 In the parable Jesus gave (Luke 18), there was no immediate answer, yet the assurance is given that God will certainly hear and bring justice. Hence, the call is to pray always. If someone prays for four days and then stops, that cannot be called “continual” prayer. Such a prayer lacks the essence and form of true prayer and instead carries the nature and character of discouragement.

True prayer is that which is free from discouragement and leads to fulfillment. In the parable, the woman realized that the judge had not responded to her pleas initially, but still, she came back again and again. That is the external story we see. But what kept her returning was the inner belief that he would eventually hear her. Though she outwardly faced rejection, inwardly, she held on to the hope of being heard. This is the deeper meaning of the parable. Even though it is written that God hears prayer, if we do not see results after four days, we must still continue, believing that God will respond in His appointed time. The believer clings to the truth that God will hear; the unbeliever focuses on the delay or absence of a response.

A true believer will keep praying, anchored in the confidence that God listens—that is what continual prayer means. Even an unbeliever may have time to pray, but two important things must be remembered: First, during the inner life of divine prayer, one must be alert and examine carefully whether discouragement is secretly entering the heart. This self-examination is vital, because prayer that is tainted by discouragement loses its spiritual power.

We must pray with unwavering faith, rooted in the conviction that God surely hears and will fulfill His justice in due time.

(2) (i) Is your prayer being directed toward the goal? (ii) Is discouragement setting in? One must firmly believe that God will surely hear my prayer. We should not dwell on the thought that God hasn’t heard. Therefore, when you bring up your personal concerns in prayer, do not become sorrowful—do not give in to grief. On the contrary, you must increase your prayer intensity. If discouragement sets in, increased prayer will gradually decrease. Then the fulfillment of your request will be delayed. All of us are called to engage in divine prayer. Among the prayers we have made, some have already been fulfilled, while new prayer topics are still arising. When the Lord gave this parable, He mentioned not only these points but also emphasized that we must pray day and night, thus reminding us about continual prayer. Day and night we must keep praying. Seeing such persistence, can God really stay silent? Today day and night, tomorrow day and night—we must keep up this pattern consistently. That’s why He referred to “His elect who cry out to Him day and night.” For example, imagine ten people praying over a matter, and the preacher is observing them. He notices who is dozing off, who is getting distracted, who steps out frequently. Seeing this, he carefully discerns and selects the three who pray without discouragement. Similarly, God selects those who pray without discouragement. The preacher picked one because he observed that person was praying persistently, without distraction. In the same way, God chooses only those who pray with perseverance. Because they pray without growing weary, they are the ones who pray continually—and therefore God calls them His chosen. These are truly prayerful people. Just as a teacher selects students who score well, God selects those who excel in prayer. Why? Because He chooses them for the task of bringing prayer answers to fulfillment. Even if only for name’s sake, you must ensure that you remain without discouragement. Those who are chosen are assigned to the task of seeing prayer fulfilled. We are praying over many matters, and answers are needed for all of them. God desires in His heart to bring fulfillment, and for that purpose He needs intercessors who will stand in the gap. In other words, for those fulfillments to be revealed, God needs people—His people—and He is raising them up as prayer warriors. Just as evangelists are needed to go out and preach the gospel, caregivers are needed to care for the sick, and counselors are needed to guide the troubled, all these roles must be filled—and they come from among people. Just as students graduate from different schools and go on to serve in their respective fields, those trained in the ministry of prayer go into the divine department of intercession. And so, for the work of fulfilling divine promises through prayer, God is raising up prayerful people.

God needs people who receive His answers, 2) people who pray prayers that bring fulfillment, and 3) prayerful individuals who are fully dedicated to Him. When such people are available, God can accomplish great and mighty works. The Lord Himself chose twelve men, and nearly 1900 years ago, they went and proclaimed the Gospel to the ends of the earth. They did not acquire just one kind of knowledge, but all forms of divine wisdom in the fellowship of Christ. They gained humility, holiness, spiritual living, and many such virtues. Then they rose up and went out to all the nations of the earth and preached the Word. Because they accepted that call, they received new strength and worked diligently. Though they did not possess worldly riches or high levels of secular education, they had learned the Word of God well from the Lord and went out to do noble and fruitful work. They once felt weary while learning, but they did not remain weary. For example, when Peter was hungry, he did not complain; instead, he went into prayer. Therefore, all the disciples became skilled in the discipline of prayer. Whenever they found even a little time, they entered into prayer. In the same way, if we follow the words of the Lord, He will appoint us to great spiritual ministries and divine responsibilities. If those whom God has chosen pray day and night, He will surely listen. So let us ask now, not later. Not just ask for those who pray continually and without discouragement—but let us become such people by doing what Jesus taught. In these days, the power of prayer is declining, while suffering, criticism, and shame are increasing. Even so, we must remain faithful to our assigned spiritual work. Since the wicked are committed to their evil tasks, the righteous must be all the more committed to their holy work. Therefore, the two pieces of counsel the Lord gave us are urgently needed: (1) Pray continually, and (2) pray without losing heart. If you pray without discouragement, that is continual prayer. If someone prays for four days and then gives up, it cannot be called continual prayer—it is interrupted prayer. In the English Bible, the phrase “faint not” means “do not become weary or lose strength.” When someone gives up in prayer due to lack of fulfillment, that is fainting—that is discouragement. The parable that Jesus told contains important words for us about this.

We must pray with these three qualities: (1) continually, (2) frequently, and (3) day and night. When we do this, the Father will bring answers quickly. If there is no discouragement in our hearts, He will respond promptly. Even if there is a delay, He will surely answer. How can we confidently say this? Because the Word says “He will answer speedily.” Based on that one word—speedily—we can conclude two things: (1) God hears His promises, and (2) He certainly listens to the accounts shared in Scripture. Though these events have already occurred, based on the future application of these parables, we can trust in the same outcomes. If we believe what God did in the past, then we can have full faith that our prayers today will also be fulfilled. Jesus ends the parable with a striking question: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” This question applies to every person during their lifetime. What can doctors do for someone who has already died? For instance, placing a strand of hair under the nose to check if there is breath—if it moves, that means the person is still alive. In the same way, prayer is like breath. We must be those who continually breathe prayer, telling the Lord about all our troubles without discouragement. Such prayerful breathing must always be present in us. When we are in that state, the Bridegroom, Christ Himself, will establish and strengthen us. Amen.

This message was preached by Father Devadasu Ayyagaru on July 5, 1945, in Rajahmundry.

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