Why Pray When God Promised?

Why Pray When God Promised?

 

If God made a promise why don’t I see it?

Are not God’s promises automatic?

What part do I play?

 

 Abraham’s son Isaac marries Rebekah at age 40.

Rebekah, by all accounts, is a parent’s dream for their son.

She had strong family values, comes from a good family background,

hard worker, generous, trustworthy, faithful and has faith in God.

She also was physically in shape and attractive.

She has everything going for her, except she is sterile.

20 years of trying to have a child and nothing.

What makes these 20 years so unbearable

is God’s promise to Abraham.

God promised Abraham he would have a son (Isaac)

and that his descendants would be as plentiful as the stars in the sky.

What is the problem, we can’t find any fault in Isaac and Rebekah?

We have a promise from God.

Why no children?

Verse 21 causes us to ask some questions about prayer;

“Isaac prayed on behalf of his wife and the Lord answered his prayer”

Did God need Isaac’s prayer to fulfill the promise?

Are promises contingent on us?

What does it mean he prayed?

Was it a one time prayer

or was it 20 years of praying

for Rebekah to become pregnant.

In Luke 18:1,

Jesus tells His disciples a parable to teach them

that they should always pray and not give up.

What does it mean always pray and not give up?

Does it mean keep on asking over and over?

Or praying for God to reveal hindrances?

Or thank Him because He heard you the first time

and its done in heaven

and you need to wait for it to take place on earth?

Or maybe it is all of the above?

If you thought I was going to give you the answer…

Well, I am sorry!

I have burnt up too many brain cells over the years to know.

But I am sure of this - there is no formula.

The scriptures share with us a great deal on the matter of prayer

and I have found in His presence

He requires a variety of responses from me.

But the most import thing about prayer is that we do not give up!

Keep standing and God will fulfill His promises.

Scripture Reading

Genesis 25:19-34 NIV

19 This is the account of Abraham's son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac,

20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel

the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

21 Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren.

The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said,

"Why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the LORD.

23 The LORD said to her,

"Two nations are in your womb,

and two peoples from within you will be separated;

one people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger."

24 When the time came for her to give birth,

there were twin boys in her womb.

25 The first to come out was red,

and his whole body was like a hairy garment;

so they named him Esau.  

26 After this, his brother came out,

with his hand grasping Esau's heel;

so he was named Jacob.

Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

27 The boys grew up,

and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country,

while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents.

28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau,

but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew,

Esau came in from the open country, famished.

30 He said to Jacob,

"Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!"

(That is why he was also called Edom.)

31 Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."

32 "Look, I am about to die,"

Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"

33 But Jacob said, "Swear to me first."

So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew.

He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Luke 18:1-8 NIV

18:1 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 about men.

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 about men,

5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me,

I will see that she gets justice,

so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'" 

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?"