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Once Upon a Time … In Real Life. Parables of Jesus Kingdom Communication (Luke 11:1-13, 18:1-8) ------------------------------------------------------- We sometimes struggle with how to live as a child of God in the world today. We exist to have a relationship with Him and share His message, and He sustains us. Even when we go through trials, we should focus on the eternal (2 Cor 4:16-18). We pray to the eternal, holy, infinite God, and He knows us better than we know ourselves. He wants to hear what we have to say, but also knows that we struggle to believe that prayer does any good. To help us remember what God has already done for us, we should engrave His unshakeable and eternal gift in our minds. Jesus told two parables: Luke 11: 5-13 – Here, Jesus used the model prayer: worship; surrender; request/confession of reliance; confession; application; and plea. Then he told a parable, and admonished people to ask, search, and knock. The parable tells us that, just as we who fail do things for our children, how much more will God do for us? It tells us that we are not an inconvenience to God. Luke 8: 1-8 – A widow keeps going to a judge on the take because she needs justice. The judge eventually wears down. Unlike this judge, God will swiftly grant justice. In this fallen world, life is hard. We need to engrave what God has already done for us on our mind and heart so that we remember that God will do the best thing for us in every situation. Prayer is not about getting God to do what we want. It is about worship, praise, intercession, and bringing our requests before God. It is about knowing that He is the only One who can do anything about the situation. We need to pray always and not get discouraged. We need to keep calling the God of so much more. Application points: -- Let urgent and pressing need drive persistence in prayer. -- Don’t despair; the dynamic of prayer is different than other conversations. Prayer is not ineffective. God absolutely hears you. -- God is better than we are at our best. If you’re writing your troubles in stone and blessings in sand, try switching it up. Let’s remind ourselves of what God has already done, and that we can trust Him with our current situation.