Open Heavens 20 October 2017: Friday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Importune prayer or vain repetitions?
Open Heavens 20 October 2017:
Friday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Importune prayer or vain
repetitions?
IMPORTUNE PRAYER OR VAIN
REPETITIONS? –
Friday October 20th 2017
Memorise: But when ye pray,
use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be
heard for their much speaking. Matthew 6:7
Read: Luke 18:1-8 (KJV)
18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to
this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
18:2 Saying,
There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
18:3 And
there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of
mine adversary.
18:4 And
he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear
not God, nor regard man;
18:5 Yet
because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual
coming she weary me.
18:6 And
the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
18:7 And
shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he
bear long with them?
18:8 I
tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man
cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Bible in one year: Philippians
2-4, Daniel 10:1-14, Hymn: Sing hymn 1
MESSAGE:
A lot
of people don’t know the difference between importune prayer and prayer with
vain repetitions. Importune prayer, otherwise known as persistent or relentless
prayer, is good and recommended by our Lord Jesus Christ, while vain
repetitions are abhorred and condemned by Him. In our memory verse, the Lord
Himself warned us against vain repetitions during prayer! The question is, what
does it mean to pray using vain repetitions? Does it mean, as assumed by a lot
of people, using the same words over and over again when praying? To answer
this question, let’s take a look at what Mark 14:39 says about the prayers the Lord
offered in the Garden of Gethesemane:
“And again he went away, and
prayed, and spake the same words.”
It is
clear from this scripture that vain repetition does not mean repeating the same
words in prayer. Using vain repetitions in prayer simply means continuously
praying on a request for which God has said “No” or “Wait, it’s not yet time”,
in the hope of stampeding Him into doing what He has purposed not to do in your
own best interest. Open Heaven 20 October 2017: Friday daily devotional by
Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Importune prayer or vain repetitions? I remember when my children were still young
and we were living in Mushin (Lagos, Nigeria), where there were so many
reckless drivers around. My children asked for bicycles, but I refused to grant
that request because I did not want to bury any of them. My answer to their
request could be interpreted as, “Wait. It’s not yet time”. However, when we
moved to the Redemption Camp, where the roads were safe for young fellows to
ride bicycles, I decided it was time to grant their request. If they kept
asking me for bicycles while we were still at Mushin, that could be interpreted
as praying using vain repetitions.
In
our Bible reading, the Lord encouraged importune or unrelenting prayer by using
the illustration a judge who was not sensitive to the plight of his
petitioners, least of all a lowly widow. Importune prayer is that prayer we
keep on saying when God has not given a verdict or yes or no. it demonstrates
to God that we have no alternative to Him and what He can do for us. This story
tells us that after the widow kept on going to the judge day and night, he
decided to do what she wanted. Although God cannot be intimidated by our prayers,
in as much as we ask according to His will and we do not grow weary in asking,
He will always answer us. Daniel prayed importune prayer for twenty-one days
before he got his answer. As a matter of fact, it was his importune prayer that
prevented him from being robbed of the answer to his request which had been
released on the very first day that he started praying, but was hijacked by
principalities (Daniel
10:12-13). I pray that your cry to God will be heard today and you
will have testimonies in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer Point
Father, avenge me of my
adversaries today, and put laughter on my lips in Jesus’ Name.
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