Online Bible Study Prayer

Prayer – Lesson 2

Worth the Wait

Prayer got us to this day. We are on the verge of beholding our miraculous answer. A baby girl is about to make her debut into the Hull-Cooper family. A long-awaited, prayed-for, cried-over, much-anticipated child. She’s unaware of the struggle preceding her conception. Unaware of tears shed in the asking. Unaware of the longing empty arms will soon hold. A baby sculpted within her mother’s womb. Knit together by the Creator of the universe. Embroidered with many colors. Fearfully and wonderfully made. The days of her life all prepared before she gets here. We await her entrance into our world. And she’ll be worth the wait!

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I remember the pain and disappointment of infertility. Where hope deferred made the heart sick. But my kids prayed through it. And we prayed. Families and friends lifted them before the Throne of God. Longing. Asking. Interceding for years. And now we’re on the other side. Prayers answered. Longing fulfilled. Our tree of life. There aren’t enough words to thank Him.

But we haven’t stopped praying. It’s what our families do whatever the circumstance. And we’re still waiting. Baby girl didn’t come on time but it should be soon. I have my iphone attached to my hand. Waiting for the call she’s on her way. In the meantime, we’re praying for mommy and baby’s safe delivery.  Talking to God about everything is where we find strength, grace, and miracles. This is one of them.

Luke 18:1-8 (NLT)

Parable of the Persistent Widow

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man[a] returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

  •  What was the purpose of this parable?
  • Why did the judge take so long to grant the widow’s plea?
  • What details were in the widow’s favor?
  • What encouragement do you find from this passage?
  • For what does Jesus hope to find on the earth when He returns?
Do we really believe God answers prayer? Do we believe God is for us and not against us? Do we believe that on the day we cry out to Him, things will change? Faith that perseveres in prayer is vital. Thankfully, God is not like the unjust judge who had to be badgered before he would listen. Our God is loving and compassionate. We learn from this parable of Jesus to never give up in prayer. Even if you don’t see a way out or an answer yet, keep praying. You never know what miracle is on the horizon.

 

 

 

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