Prayer: Mercy-Full
High and Lofty One
My debt is beyond repayment
Yet, you forgive
Make me mercy-full as you are mercy-full
Forgive me
Heal me
From witholding what you so freely give
From feeding the cycle of revenge
From claiming I deserve at another’s expense
High and Lofty One
You forgive me for a purpose
Grant me your spirit and your heart
Renew and revive your way of life in me
Prayer: How Large Your Heart
How large your heart, my Sovereign
How great your forgiveness
How generous your mercy
How large your heart, my Sovereign
How deep your compassion
How quick your charity
How large your heart, my Savior
How extravagant your grace
How present your hope
Glory to your Holy Name!
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For the next few months, I’ll be posting prayers to accompany Bishop Ken Carter’s Bible Study on Facebook. Each week, Bishop Carter will bring in a guest to speak about the passage. We’ll be walking through the last chapters of the Gospel of Matthew.
You’re most welcome to read along and to join this Facebook discussion group. You don’t need to be a Methodist or attend a Methodist church. All are welcome and all means all.
May the grace of God’s word, the challenge, and the call, inspire us to great faith and great good works in Jesus’ name. – Lisa <
Today I realized how often Jesus’ parable of the soil/sower makes its way into my devotional life. The story is simple, yet rich with wisdom and truth. I’ve learned so much and yet there is so much more to discover. Leave a comment with what you’ve discovered. I’d love to hear from you. – Lisa <><
For the next few months, I’m reading a chapter from the Gospels each day. This is part of the Summer in the Scriptures reading plan sponsored by the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. Click Here for the reading plan.
As part of the Facebook group, I’ve been supplying prayers based on the day’s reading. Feel free to post your prayers and observations based on the readings here or there as well.
May the grace of the Gospels, the challenge, and the call, inspire us to great faith and great good works in Jesus’ name. – Lisa <><
You are welcome to use these prayers and resources in a worship setting with proper attribution. Please leave a comment to contact me directly for publishing and posting consideration.
Persevering in Prayer
Scripture: Luke 18:1-8, the parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge
Notes from a message offered Sunday, 11/10/19 at Trinity United Methodist Church, Sarasota Florida.
What can you do with a rubber band?
Rubber bands are elastic. So are Jesus’ parables- stories with a deeper spiritual meaning. They both stretch in many directions.
You can read a parable one day and hear from God. You can read them a month later or even years later and receive another important truth from God.
It reminds us the scriptures are living and active. God meets us exactly where we are in the Word of God.
Luke 18:1-8. The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge
From the point of view of followers of Jesus as the widow 1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 Jesus said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had 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?”
Jesus sets up a contrast between God and the unjust judge.
The judge is powerful, probably the most powerful person in his community. He’s worldly, corrupt, slow to respond, indifferent, disrespectful, unbelieving.
God is more powerful, attentive to injustice, quick to respond, faith-full, compassionate.
Even the ungodly relent in the face of persevering. How much more will God answer you when you pray!
Followers of Jesus are to be like the widow, the person with the least amount of power in the community. Folks would have laughed at the powerless widow getting the judge to do what she wanted him to do.
1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray alwaysandnot to lose heart. 8 when the Son of Man comes, will he find faithon earth?
The widow had faith that her persevering would bring a result. Faith looks like praying always and not losing heart. Does God find you resilient and full of faith? Actively trusting in God and persevering in prayer?
How’s your prayer life?
Using prayer as a rubber stamp as you make plans to fix whatever needs fixing in your own strength?
Using prayer as a last resort when everything else you tried didn’t work?
Have you just given up on prayer? You’ve been praying about the same situation for a long time with no change. It’s easy to get discouraged and lose heart.
Luke 11:9-13 Luke 11:9 Jesus said, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.”
A Translation Closer to the Original Intention- Present Progressive Tense Jesus said, “Keep on asking, and it will be given you, Keep on seeking and you will find, keep on knocking and it will be opened unto you. For everyone who continues to ask, receives, and the one who continues to seek, finds, and for the one who continues to knock, it will be opened. What father among you, if your son asks for a fish will instead of a fish give him a serpent? Or if he asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Example of Persevering Prayers Being Answered
Name your persevering prayer. Keep praying, do not lose heart.
Reconciliation of relationship
The salvation of a loved one
An answer to a question
Deliverance from an addiction
The end of corruption, evil, injustice, oppression
Peace and plenty for all
Trust God is good. Trust God is near and attentive to your needs. Trust God will make the wrongs right. It may not be in this life, it may be in heaven. But it may be now.
Luke 18:1-8. The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge
Stretch the parable in a different direction, from the point of view of God as the widow and we as the judge. 2 Jesus said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had 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.’”
Pleading Widow by Steve Garnaas Holmes
Our gender and power stereotypes told us to assume
the judge is God, which would make us the poor widow.
But wait. Who judges? Who cares neither for God or people?
That would be us. And who continually demands
that we do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God?
Sorry, we don’t get the high ground here, denying our privilege,
pretending we’re faithfully imploring God
with our persistent quest for justice.
We’re the ones deaf to the cries of the poor.
God comes in the voice of the vulnerable, the easily ignored
while we in our arrogance easily ignore.
How disconcerting that in this story
the ball is in our court, not God’s!
The demand has been made, over and over.
Jesus warns us: God can outlast us.
But when God comes, will God find us listening?
Prayer and Action
Prayer is coupled with action. If we are praying for that relationship to be reconciled, what are we doing for that relationship to be reconciled? If we are praying for our loved ones to come to faith, what are we doing to create an environment where they could hear the Gospel? If we’re praying for an end to evil, injustice, and oppression, what are we doing to end evil, injustice, and oppression?
The dual truths of persevering in prayer and prayer in action stretch me. I need to pray before I act so I don’t use it as a weapon. I need to persevere in prayer because God is the one who makes things new. I need both.
And I need the Holy Spirit filling me so I don’t lose heart when it seems like nothing’s changing. Persevere in prayer. Prayer and action.
Prayer-
Heavenly Father, we thank you that you hear us. That you want to have a relationship with us. You want to bless us, empower us, encourage us, forgive us.
Help us to talk to you. To talk to you honestly, openly, and often. Help us to persevere in prayer. Help us to not lose heart. Help us to trust you.
Help to know the path we’re on with you is the path of goodness and glory. Help us to know it’s the path of truth and humility, the path of light and life. We need that assurance so we can persevere.
In our praying, help us to hear if there’s an action we are to take. Grant us the courage, grace, and wisdom to act.
You are making us new. You are making this world new. Thank you for the gift of prayer. Amen.
Prayers Based on 
Revlisad.com 