How Can My Prayers Reach Beyond the Ceiling?

One of the greatest tools that we have as Christians that is available to us, it's like a toolbox, of course, that we have all of us that can help us and serve us in doing our trade, our responsibility, which is being a Christian.

And in that toolbox, brethren, is prayer that we can use. And through prayer, we have, you know, if we can really think about how wonderful this is, direct access to the Father in heaven. Prayer is a tool which also gives us access to power. It gives us access to strength to help us be strengthened in a time of need in our lives. And this is why we are admonished by the Apostle Paul to pray without ceasing, to never stop praying as God's people. You know, in our prayers, many times, we can pour out our hearts, though, and we know and believe that we have the very ear of God. But even so, sometimes, doesn't it seem like, brethren, when we kneel down, that it's like our prayers bounce off the ceiling, and it's like they don't go anywhere. It's like they just reverberation of your voice is all that you hear in the room where you're praying. You know, it can be like that as we struggle to reach God, to somehow petition Him as we cry out to Him. And God, again, can sometimes feel far away to us in ethereal. Well, brethren, do you ever feel like giving up? You ever feel like throwing in the towel, at least on prayer? That you wonder, well, I'm just not able to pray, I'm not able to reach God and to talk to God? Well, brethren, I think sometimes, if we look back over our lives, that all of us have gone through those feelings over the years, if we're really truthful about it. You know, don't you suppose that Jesus Christ realized this struggle for His own disciples as He worked with them, you know, in the first century of the church for that three and a half year period of time? I mean, if we look at people like Peter, I mean, how could we imagine otherwise that Peter himself probably had a short attention span because he spoke so quickly? You know, there were other indications of others that had the same types of problems, and so those that were in the first century that Jesus Christ worked with, even the Apostles, I'm sure wrestled with some of these things. And I think that Jesus Christ knew that the disciples would find, would not find it easy to pray. And sometimes, I think it was obviously other people around them, particularly among the Pharisees and the scribes that they were not praying. And he knew that the disciples would not have a tendency to pray earnestly on a continual basis, but that they would lose heart. Sometimes, again, that could happen to us. And they were like, we are, brethren. They were of light passions who had the struggle, and they had to endure, and they had to learn, and they had to grow in their personal prayer life. And, you know, when we first come to the church, we start learning about prayer. It is not easy, because we don't know it all.

Sometimes, it's like, you know, if young people have the attitude at a particular time in their teen years when they know it all. It's like, I think, every teenager that I've ever seen goes through that period. I went through that period when I was 16. And, you know, it's like Mark Twain, I think, said that when he was 21, he was amazed at how much his parents had learned, you know, by that time. And I think it's kind of interesting that the same thing happens to all of us. But, brethren, we don't know all about prayer when we first come to the church, and it is a growing thing in our process in our lives that has to increase over time.

Let's go to Luke chapter 18 to introduce this subject today. In Luke 18 and verse 1, it says, "...then he spoke of prayer, or parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart." You know, so again, here Christ was talking about this very thing here about prayer, about losing heart in prayer. And in verse 2, he says, "...there was a certain city, a judge who did not fear God, nor regard man." Now, we have some judges like that around here, don't we? You know, that don't fear God, and of course would throw out the Bible entirely if they had a chance. But in verse 3, it says, "...now there was a widow in that city, and she came to him, saying, Get justice for me from my adversary. And he would not for a while." He held off doing it. But afterward, he said, "...within himself, though I do not fear God, nor regard man, yet because this widow, this little widow, troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me." You know, so he knew this was the kind of a stick to it of type of a widow that was going to be like a, you know, a little small dog that sort of hangs on to the cuff of your pants and tugs until you give in. And, you know, he knew that she was that type of a lady. But in verse 6, it says, "...then the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge says, and shall God not avenge his own elect who cry out day and night to him, though he bears long with them." And so, you know, here's what Jesus Christ said about prayer. Now, there are many lessons that we could actually just take this parable that Jesus Christ has given here, and we could extract many lessons from it. I encourage you to read this over and over again to get the lessons out of this particular parable that Jesus Christ gave here for us. But, you know, the most obvious message is found in the very next statement. In verse 8, maybe I shouldn't say it is obvious because many people don't get it, but in verse 8 he says, "...I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless," Jesus said, "...when the Son of Man comes, will he really find faith on the earth?" You know, I've given many, many sermons over the years about faith. Do we have faith? Are we going to have faith when Jesus Christ returns the second time?

The reality is that Jesus Christ was not so much talking about faith, but if Jesus Christ had completed what he was saying here, the idea that he was conveying to his disciples is, when the Messiah comes, when the Messiah returns, will he find his servants praying? That is what Jesus Christ really meant. Remember, that was the subject of the parable as introduced in verse 1 here. So, when the Messiah returns, will he find his servants praying? Well, brethren, how can your prayers and my prayers reach beyond the ceiling? You know, in our prayer closet or wherever that we kneel down to pray. How can we offer up to God prayers that will have an effect, that will receive an answer to them? You know, the first question to ask ourselves about our prayers is, do our prayers please God?

And I think that sometimes people miss this in what they are praying. Very often, when people pray, they don't give thought to how they pray. You know, we could talk about what to pray about at another time. And there's instructive that Jesus Christ gave concerning that in the model prayer in Matthew chapter 6. But do our prayers please God? I'm not going to go to this verse, but you might want to write it down. It's 1 John 3 and verse 22, because it says, whatsoever we ask, John says, we receive of him, that is from Jesus Christ, because we keep his commandments, and the last part here, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. Throughout the Bible, God has instructed us about many topics. And here we see in Luke 18 here that Christ was instructing the Apostles about prayer, teaching them how to pray. And the Bible, again, teaches us how to pray. You know, God hears us and blesses us, brethren, accordingly as we please him. Are we obedient, brethren, to what he has commanded? Are we obedient to those things that he has instructed us to do? You know, God is like a parent who was not going to reward us for disobedience. You know, when God has taught us, when he's tried to instruct us, you know, and show us what we're supposed to do, he's not then going to go turn around and bless us if we go against what he's directly instructed us to do. Now, I think we should realize that fact, and that we need to fall in the line with God as our parent, as our Father, and Jesus Christ as our elder brother is instructing us to do. Over in the book of Proverbs, Solomon wrote this in Proverbs 28 verse 9, it says, one who turns away his ear from hearing the law.

In other words, we stop listening to what God has to say through the law and what is instructed within the Bible. You know, Solomon goes ahead and says that even his prayer is an abomination. You see how very important it is that if we don't, you know, recognize what God has said through his law, that our prayers become an abomination to God. You know, again, why would God listen to us if we are not willing to listen to him? You know, it's a two-way street, isn't it? And oftentimes it's a one-way street because God is the one that is the one showing the mercy, isn't he, all the time, and we're not listening the way that we should. Have we prayed, rather than the way God wishes us to pray as his children? So, rather than the remainder of the sermon, let's talk about this. How do we offer up prayers which are pleasing in the sight of God? I think this would be very valuable to know, don't you? I mean, if we're going to go before our God in heaven, that we are going to have to, again, know the answer to that question. Now, how would you answer that if you were to have to answer that question to someone, maybe if there was somebody who came to you and said, you know, Mr. so-and-so or Mrs. so-and-so, I pray and it just seems like I don't... that my prayers are ineffective. What am I supposed to do? You know, if you were sitting down with them, I've had this ask of me quite a number of times over the years. I'm sure that, you know, other elders have had the same thing happen to them, and you have to give an answer to someone about that and what is important. But, you know, I think it's important for us also to remember this, brethren, that when we're given an answer to it, sometimes the answer I get back is, well, I've been doing that. You know, well, brethren, it may be that we have been doing certain things, but maybe we're not doing it right. You know, that happens where we do things and we think we're doing them right, and we simply are not. So, again, how do we offer up prayers that are going to be pleasing in the sight of God?

Well, brethren, first of all, prayer must be made in faith. You know, God doesn't want to listen to a prayer. You know, you get on your knees and I lay me down to sleep, and if you're so before I arrive, whatever that little prayer was, I never remember the prayer or memorize the prayer myself. I didn't pray until, you know, probably I was about 11 or 12 around that period of time. I think I mentioned to you why I started to pray at that time. It was because my brother, who was five years old, was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and that began the process of me praying. So, I had a reason to pray, and I prayed again from the heart, because I didn't know any other way to pray. That's all I knew. But prayer, brethren, must come from the innermost conviction of your heart. It has to have belief behind it. In other words, not just mouthing the words, not just memorizing a prayer to say. You know, something is from the depths of your heart. God looks to a person who really does have that kind of heart when he appears or she appears before him in heartfelt prayer. You know, those prayers that again come from the heart, brethren, those are the ones that God is pleased with. Let's go to Hebrews 11 and verse 6, and I think we can see this within this verse here. In Hebrews 11 and down in verse 6, it's in the context of those who were faithful, you know, through the ages. I might say this is the Hall of Fame of those who prove faithfulness in their own life, you know, here in Hebrews 11 with people like Noah and Abraham and Sarah and so forth.

But in Hebrews 11 and verse 6 here, it says, "...but without faith it is impossible to please him." So you see, faith has to be there in our prayers, belief. For he who comes to God must believe that he is, that he is, and that he's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. So we please God, brethren, if we have faith in Him because it shows we really believe it.

We really have a confidence in it. We're talking, in other words, to the thin air, brethren, like those that God observed for centuries and for millennia of time where people knelt down and prayed to idols. What did God say in the prophets, Jeremiah, where he talks about how they prayed to sticks and stone idols? But, you know, what are they praying to? They're just praying to the wind, basically.

There's nothing there. There's nothing behind it. But no, brethren, we pray to the Almighty God who exists, who is not an image, who is not an idol. You know, we as God's people, again, need to also believe that God rewards us because He hears us. Again, that God is real, that we believe in our heart of hearts that there is a God in heaven that can show mercy to us, that can extend that mercy to us.

Again, that comes from a belief that's from the heart. You know, for a person to really believe that, that God rewards those who seek Him. Let's go to Matthew chapter 21 and see more about this subject of faith and how, when we pray, that we've got to pray from the heart. It has to come from the very depths of our being. In Matthew chapter 21, on down here to verse 18. Matthew 21 verse 18. It says, "...now in the morning as he returned to the city, he was hungry." You know this parable that we see here, the story and the account.

And it says, "...and seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it and found nothing on it but leaves. And he said to it, let no fruit grow on you ever again, and immediately the fig tree wizard away." It just shriveled up and died, just like the many of the plants that I plant, by the way, do that. So, and that's not a miracle with me. I just have a, what is it, not a green thumb. I've got a black thumb. And it says, "...and when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, how did this fig tree wither away so soon?

And so Jesus answered and said to them, Assurely I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea, it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing you will receive." You see, sometimes we don't believe, do we? We don't really believe. You know, the faith that Christ is talking about here is an incredible faith.

Is it moved mountains? And the fact is, you don't see very many mountains being moved around out there, in the sense of literal mountains. I think Jesus Christ was talking about a literal mountain here. Or we could talk about the figurative mountains. We may see those move around a lot more.

But this faith is different. It comes from God's Spirit, His Holy Spirit. And one of the things that we as God's people have to do, like the Apostles had to do, it took time to have that faith to believe God. That God was real. That God was a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Now this kind of belief and this faith involves, again, believing regardless of what you see. You know, do we have that kind of faith, brethren, when all is beddling around us, surrounding us? Can we have faith and not see those things? You know, sometimes we're like Peter, remember, was walking on the water. And then he realized, he looked around, he says, I'm walking on water.

I shouldn't be walking on water. And pretty soon he was sinking down to the water, and he said he had to reach out for Christ. But this kind of faith is the faith that I'm talking about, brethren. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. If you can believe, if you can have faith, that is your substance, that it is going to happen. And so we, brethren, need to grow in that, don't we? To believe God absolutely.

And, you know, that faith is your evidence, even though you can't see it now. And, you know, I think another thing that it should be important to us in terms of a prayer, brethren, and having faith, is, you know, God answers in His own time, and He always answers at the right time.

So, but, you know, prayer with faith. His answer may come, brethren, it may not come like it did for the fig tree, you know, being withered. Sometimes it might be a week, sometimes it might be a year, sometimes it might be ten years. You know, when God answers the prayer, He will do it again on His own timing. But we still have to have faith, no matter what, you know. Some of you may be praying for people that you would like to see called in the work of God in the Church of God, and you prayed and prayed for that person.

You know, keep continuing having that faith. Keep that sustained faith, and you will find that God will answer your prayer. Of course, He will do it for the best time for that person and for His plan. In James 1, James 1 and verse 5, notice here, He were told, if any of you lacks wisdom, let Him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given Him. So God is so willing to give us wisdom.

You know, so you might say that is the one thing, brethren, that we all should be tapping into. If we grow in wisdom, maybe we'll understand faith a whole lot more than we do. But it says, but let Him ask in faith with no doubting, for He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all of his ways. So again, you know, that really, I think, says it all. So we need to realize that God wants us to really believe something.

You know, how important is it? You know, during the time of Christ, there were those that were healed miraculously. One woman, remember, who touched the hymn of the garment of Jesus Christ was healed, and Christ said it was because of her faith. The interesting thing is she had been sick for a long, long time, and maybe she had come to the point where that was the only thing that she could believe in.

She could not believe anything else but the fact that Jesus Christ was going to heal her and God intervened for her at that time. We need to focus, brethren, our attention on God and what He can and what He will do for us if we pray to Him.

You know, faith comes by completely surrendering to Jesus Christ and trusting and obeying God's Word. Study God's Word, brethren, to find the answers.

You know, I'm not going to be able to give you the answers in any one sermon.

Mr. Warm is not going to be able to do that. No minister is going to be able to do that.

Not in a thousand sermons. You're going to have to study for yourself. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 10, 17, that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So we have to dig in to the Word of God. You know, we learn through studying the Bible personally ourselves or by hearing sermons that are given, you know, in the Church. But when it says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, it means that faith comes by what we hear and what we hear comes from the Word of God. So what goes into our minds? We begin to understand and grasp and grow in faith as God's people. I would say, even though I feel myself personally, that my faith is very lacking. I need so much more faith. All of us do. I have a whole lot more faith now than I did when I first started. A whole lot more. You know, even when I thought I knew it all. You know, I have more faith now than I did then. So prayer must be made with faith. Another thing that is so important if we expect to get an answer from God, brethren, is prayer should always be given in a humble, contrite attitude. Always. Not an attitude of anger. You know, not an attitude of self-seeking, self-centeredness, but an attitude of humility and contrite. Once again, this is what pleases God with those approaching Him in prayer. You know, King David wrote this a long time ago. He said, the Lord is near to those who are of a broken heart and save such as have a contrite spirit. So God is going to listen. Remember the case of Hannah when she went, you know, to pray for Samuel to be born. God heard her and answered her prayer. She was barren, and as a result she became pregnant with Samuel, one of the greatest prophets of all time. You know, the Apostle James wrote this. He said, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. So God doesn't want, you know, us like human beings here that prance around upon the earth thinking we're great to appear before Him in the least bit with that kind of an attitude. You know, if we wish to have the ear of God and be shown His mercy and His grace, then our prayers, brethren, must always be sincerely expressed in this manner, in this way. You know, the Bible specifically says that God has called the weak and base things of the world so that no flesh will glory in the presence of God. And so, you know, when we go and we kneel before God, brethren, it's like, you know, we're in a special room as it were right there before God. It's like now, right now, at services. We are in the presence of Almighty God right now.

You know, the angels of God are right here. This is an enclave of God's people, and His presence is here, and God wants us to have a humble attitude and a willingness to listen. But in prayer, we have the opportunity to talk to God, to express our feelings. So when we appear before God, this must always be the case, brethren, whether they're on the Sabbath, the Holy Days, or in our daily prayer.

Remember the parable that Jesus spoke about the Pharisee and the tax collector?

I won't go through that particular parable. Remember how the Pharisee was so boastful and bragging about all of His righteous acts, and how He tithed and fasted, and how He did all these things. And remember the publican knew he wasn't righteous. He couldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven, and he had a humble attitude. Jesus said at that time, what did He say about that publican? He said, that man went down to his house justified before God. In other words, he was all squared away as far as God was concerned.

And brethren, when we go before God with a humble attitude, and we pour our hearts out to God, and we ask Him to wipe away our sins, we ask Him for His direction in our lives, then we know that attitude. If we have that humble, contrite spirit, brethren, it pleases God. It's a wonderful thing to God to see that in His children. You know, the respect that His own children have for Him. In Isaiah 66, Isaiah 66, you don't want to, again, belabor this point, but it's very important to us, all of these points, of having faith and having humility when we go before God. We humans sometimes could get cocky upon the earth, can't we? You know, and we think we're something. And when we see ourselves in the grand scheme of things, as sometimes we have, you know, shown how vast and how huge the universe is, and we're just... when God says that we're less than nothing, He knows what He's talking about, doesn't He? That we are less than nothing. We're dust on the balance. In Isaiah 66 in verse 1 and 2, Isaiah says, Thus says the Eternal, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool.

Now, God puts His feet on the earth. You know, this whole earth again is His footstool. Where is the house that you will build me? And where is the place of my rest? For all those things my hand is made, and all those things exist, says the Eternal. But on this one will I look, on Him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, who trembles at my word. So again, here we see that the man or woman who God will favor, who will please Him, is that person that has a humble attitude and a contrite spirit. And, brethren, another important thing to point out, and we've already touched on this, so I won't spend a lot of time on this particular part of our prayers. And what is so important again, this takes time as well to develop these things. The Apostles, again, had to grow in those things. Jesus Christ knew that they had to be taught first, though, the principles. They had to know the principles. And so He gave them a mile of prayer. He showed them how to pray. He instructed in other places about how to pray, but what was needed was experience.

Like I told our speakers club, you know, right now in the church we need people who have experience. And, you know, the only way you can get experience is time and enduring, putting in the time and the effort and working hard. And don't worry about somebody appointing you to do something. Just come in and help out. Do whatever you can do. So the next important thing, brethren, is pray according to the will of God. As we grow, we learn what the will of God is. God will not give us anything, brethren, that is going to go against what His will is.

What He has spelled out is law. He will not give that to us if we violate that law. He simply will not. And again, He's not going to do anything that will harm us, because that would harm us. You know, sometimes when we pray, sometimes we pray selfishly. You know, what young person hasn't prayed for a Carmen, you know, some sort of a car, you know, Lamborghini or, you know, lasagna. I mean, that's not a car. That's a... they probably pray for lasagna, too, and pizza.

And all of that. But God will give us something that it's going to do us some harm. And, you know, a teenage boy is saying, well, what harm is that going to do me?

I mean, to have a Lamborghini. Well, I can think of quite a few. Let's go to 1st John, Chapter 5. 1st John, Chapter 5. Again, I'm not going to belabor this particular point here, but in 1st John, Chapter 5, and verses 14 and 15, just a couple of verses here. And here, he's talking about confidence in prayer. And it says, now, this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And so God hears us. You ask for wisdom, and you, again, you ask for it from the heart, God's there. You ask for something he wants you to do, God is there for you. He is always there, brethren, for us if we ask that according to his will. He hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of him. You can know that God is going to do that in some way or fashion. Again, in the timing that he chooses. He's going to be the ones that's going to choose the time, brethren. Now, when we ask for something of God, how does this fit into the will of God? We need to ask ourselves, why are we asking it? For what reason? You know, God knows all things, but our minds don't grasp the impact of things in our lives that are for our own good. You know, there are things that we need to go through that are very unpleasant. You know, one of the most important things a parent can teach their child is to teach them that life is not going to be full of all pleasant things. There are some things that might not be so pleasant that you need to go through, that you need to experience. You may not like it, but you know, you're going to learn something from it. I remember when I first came to the ministry, I was a trainee and, of course, thought I knew everything. It was a trainee. Isn't it amazing when people start out with things they think they know everything? But, you know, when I first started in the ministry, I don't think I gave a sermon for about six months or so. I gave a sermon to ask. Plenty of sermon to ask. A lot of song leading as well. In a lot of time, the pastor would ask me to do errands for him. Pick up laundry, mow his lawn. When my wife and I got married, which was about six months into it, we were babysitters. But, you know, and I thought sometimes when I was doing this, is this the kind of job I'm going to have for the rest of my life? And I must say, I did not react well and had probably sometimes a wrong attitude about the things that I would ask to do. But let me tell you, it was the best thing in the world for me. You know, all things work to the good. And you know what? I think what it did for me is it took the wind out of my sails. It made me realize, you know, how little I was. And so, brethren, some things that are not so unprecedented, you know, they're not things easy for us to do are the best things for us to do. So, remember again, God knows all things. And we don't know.

You know, and He takes us through some of those things. You know, because a trial might be difficult doesn't mean God will deliver you from it right away. You know, I love the man that I work for, by the way, a great deal, and his wife, because they were very dear friends and still are very dear friends to us. You know, what about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? You know, God didn't deliver them from the fiery trial that they went through. But remember, it came right up to it, and here you had Nebuchadnezzar that taught, you know, tying them up and through them headlong into the furnace. And so, He didn't deliver them even up to that particular point. And remember, old Nebuchadnezzar looked in and he saw that there were four people that were in the furnace, the fiery furnace, and he shouted out to them an interesting thing that, you know, he called them the servants of the Most High. Well then, you see, Nebuchadnezzar called them the servants of the Most High. And he called them forth out of the furnace, and they came out, remember, and that not a hair on their head was singed. And they didn't have the smell of smoke or fire on their clothes at all. So sometimes, you might have to go through the fireiest trial that you could even imagine. And again, still God doesn't have the right to save us. And in that case, we see how God can do that and may allow us to go through something that might be important for the rest of our lives. So we don't know what God's immediate plan might be for us, but He has our best interest at heart. He knows how to bring us to salvation. We don't. He knows how to bring us to salvation, brethren. Our prayers sometimes go unanswered because we are more focused on our personal desires rather than what God wants. Now, the main reason that is the case, brethren, is our focus is too much on the physical. We're concerned about how we're going to pay the next bill. How will I put food on the table? Frankly, if we do our part, brethren, and keep diligent in our work habits, and we have faith and God, God will take care of those things. That's what it says, doesn't it? In Matthew 6, 33, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things shall be added to you. Let's go to James chapter 4. James 4. James 4 over here.

And down in verse 3, here James the Apostle says, you ask. He's talking about asking of God. And do not receive because you ask of this. You ask in the wrong manner, in other words, that you may spend it on your pleasures or if you have a King James, your lusts. In other words, what we want. I remember, again, my friend at a master college that used to sing this self-centered song, What the World Needs Now is Me, Me, Me. That's what he used to sing. I hope he matured out of that.

I think, again, it just shows that we're like little banny roosters down here on on the earth and I'm sure God must chuckle at, you know, we being so small and so childish sometimes. So, brethren, pray according to the will of God. And think about the spiritual. Another important aspect of a prayer, brethren, is we should have a grateful attitude in our prayers. You know, God does not like a solid puss. He doesn't like somebody that goes around whining all the time.

Remember the children of Israel? They murmured all the time. They murmured, murmured, murmured. They're carping and bickering and all of that. Well, God doesn't like that either. He doesn't like that attitude. You know, often we see people that have the most and they're the least grateful for what they have.

It's like coming here to services today. It's amazing the attitude that people have. You know, as you from the other side coming down to Oakland, other side of the Cal does Cott Tunnel, you know, sometimes it funnels down into a couple of lanes. There's a cheaters lane that people get into. Some of you probably have seen it. And what they do is they go in this exit and they go down and stop and make a left, go up, and they cut in front of everybody, you know, and it slows the traffic down. So it really creates more chaos because of that. But what was this morning was kind of interesting is there was a man that was driving just really, really fast. And a guy cut in front of him to get in that lane, the cheaters lane, I call it. And the guy that was driving fast honked his horn, laid on his horn, you know, on this guy. And I thought, I looked at my wife and I said, look, isn't it amazing? Here you have two cheaters. And one of them is honking at the other because he doesn't get to cheat faster. But isn't that the way that people are? They're not grateful. I mean, it's not good enough he gets to cut to the front of the lane, but you know, he has to be number one at it. But, you know, our world, our affluent world, has spoiled us and we can get more and more self-centered. One of the greatest sins we can commit, brethren, is in gratitude.

Of not being thankful. You know, a good parent teaches a child to always show appreciation and to be content. You know, sometimes we have more and sometimes we have less. I think my dad summed it up. I read in his old Bible. He said we didn't have very much, but we loved each other.

Philippians 4 verse 6. So there are more things than the physical. Of course, Jesus said that didn't he?

He taught us about those things. Philippians chapter 4 and verse 6. No, he says here, Paul says in the Philippians 4-6, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be known to God. So he says, have thanksgiving. You know, being thankful here. Let those requests, those petitions, be known to God, but be appreciative in your attitude. You know, we should make a list of what God has done for all of us. I'd like to give that an assignment for all of you. Get yourself a piece of paper when you get home and write down what God has done for you and how your life is different and has changed. You know, do we appreciate Jesus Christ and the access he gives to us, to the Father, you know, because we're able to go and pray before God in the name of Jesus Christ. We wouldn't have access without Jesus Christ. We can do it by His authority. Are we thankful for Christ's sacrifice and that He's the high priest and that He's sitting up there at the right hand of the Father in heaven as our mediator and He knows what we're going through down here. Are we thankful for the Church, brethren, and the fact that God has called us out of the world and allowed us to be a part of the Church? Are we thankful for that? Remember what it was like before we knew God and before we began to learn the truth of God, His precious truth? Are we thankful for the truth? Do we thankful or are we thankful to Him for life itself and how, in fact, that He has brought mankind along and He has such a plan for Him? Are we thankful for our families? Are we thankful for our mates, our children, our brothers, and our sisters? Are we grateful for the creation that God has given us that we all take for granted? It could be a long list, couldn't it? And I mean these, by the way, very sincerely to be thankful about. Finally, brethren, as a point here to close out this topic here this morning, we must offer an importuity prayer to be effective. Pray without ceasing, we're told in the Bible.

If something is important enough, brethren, to be brought before Almighty God, then it's important enough to pray about until it's answered. You know, Paul had a physical element. It seems that he besought God about it three times. I'm sure it was not the only time he prayed for it and about it. He was anointed for it for three times, apparently. How long he prayed about that, he may have come to accept it. I don't know. But maybe he began to realize that, look, this is not necessary for God to heal this for me to continue to do it. But, you know, if someone needs to be healed, we should continue to pray for them until they are healed. If they need a job, we should pray until they get the job. If someone needs a mate, we should pray until they have a mate. If someone has need of being called even, that you know. Know that, you know, they may, just with a little more, could be brought into the church. Pray about it until it happens. If someone needs wisdom, if someone needs faith, you know, Christ taught us what to do. And so, pray about those things. Let's go to Luke chapter 11.

Luke 11, and beginning verse 5 here, he says, and he said to them, he's talking again about asking and seeking and knocking, as we see in the next segment here, but it says, and he said to them, Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves? Because a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him. And he will answer from within, and say, Do not trouble me, the door is now shut, and my children are all with me in bed.

I cannot rise and give to you. I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him, because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will rise and give him as many as he needs. Same thing as the importuning widow, right? Same principle here. And by the way, I'll be over tonight for some bread. But persistence is necessary to please God.

He shows that you really believe this is important. So, regardless, brethren, of what God answers to it, realize that he will answer the prayer. He's going to answer the prayer. And we need to trust that God will do that. That God knows all, and he knows what is best for us and for others in terms of his plan. He loves us, brethren, and he seeks the very best for each of us. And so, brethren, again, an important thing to know is how our prayers please God. It's such a wonderful thing to be able to be blessed so that we can kneel down and we can talk to God whenever we choose.

You know, we don't have to have a telephone. We don't have to have an iPhone or anything like that.

You don't have to pay a bill to do it. All you got to do is kneel somewhere, anywhere, and you can talk to God in prayer. And, brethren, as we grow in understanding, God expects us to mature in seeing better how to come before Him in prayer. He will hear, and He will answer us if we pray in a manner which is pleasing in this sight.

You know, they won't bounce off the ceiling. You know, sometimes we can feel that they do, but, brethren, they will ascend before God as a sweet, smelling incense to Him. So, brethren, let's have Jesus Christ find us with faith when He comes, and let's, brethren, continue praying to the very end of this age.