The Theology of Persistent Prayer, Part 2 | Keep Praying !

Luke 18:6-8

Remember, I said that God’s justice is inflexible. He must be just, and so in the inflexibility of his justice, he will do remunerative justice, that is, to reward those who are righteous. And if we look at all humanity, who’s righteous and meriting any favor from God? Just one: Jesus Christ. The rest of us, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” right? So if he’s to be just to us, if he’s to give us what our deeds deserve, what’s to become of us? “The wages of sin are death,” right? This is retributive justice, and God must be just. He is just, and so he does act in justice, dealing out retributive justice.

So how in the world, if God is unchanging, can he change his posture toward us sinners? Is it because of our persistent goodness and likeableness? Is because of our annoyance to him, like the persistent widow? Is it because we do good deeds? Is because we give enough money? Is it because we pray a lot and come banging on the doors of heaven, saying, let me in, let me in?

No, that’s not the picture here. Jesus is specific in using this term, elect, so we will understand that we are declared righteous by God, not by our own merits, but by Christ’s. When God put his own son on the cross, Isaiah 53, he placed upon him the sins of all of us. He placed upon him the sins that Jesus did not commit because he’s perfectly righteous. He placed upon him our sins, sins of thought, word, and deed. Sins of omission: things that we ought to have done, but didn’t. Sins of commission: things that we should not have done, but we did anyway.

He places all those things, a mountain of, of sin and darkness and blackness, and he places it on his son, the weight of the sins of all of the elect on his son, on the cross, and then the father poured out his wrath for every single one of those sins. Justice was done in the case of our sins. Retributive justice was done that we might be forgiven.

Not only that, though, remunerative justice was also done, Because Christ should not have died, but he did. He was buried in a tomb, and he shouldn’t have been, but God raised him from the dead, not only showing his approval of the son’s redemptive work, not only receiving him to himself, but then granting him what his soul longed for, the pleasure of God, the praise of God, the vindication of God, and giving to him this elect people, whom he died for, whom he died to save.

God forgives his people on the basis of Christ’s perfect substitutionary atonement on the cross and God blesses with perfect righteousness all those whom he has chosen because of Christ’s perfect righteousness. He hides us in his son, and we are accepted, Ephesians 1:6, on behalf of the Beloved. “Those whom he predestined he also called, those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified,” he speaks of this future event in past-tense language, “those whom he justified, he also glorified.” Done deal.

This is the elect. Foreknown, predestined, called, justified, glorified, all of it done in the father’s mind from before the foundation of the world, from start to finish. All of this foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, glorification, the father has exercised his own sovereign will, and he shepherds his elect people by a wise and perfect providence to accomplish everything that he set out to do. He will not fail in his objective to save his people. He ensures that the ones whom he has chosen, he will certainly receive them to himself, and they will receive their full redemption, their full reward of eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Understand, all of this is justifiably freighted in with that one term that Jesus uses there, eklectos, the chosen, the elect ones. He uses that in verse 7, there, of Luke chapter 18. But here in Romans 8, looking at verse 31, here’s the material point for understanding the term. Here’s why we need to understand that background and that theology. Paul says, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”

And then this, verse 33, again back to the material point, 8, Romans 8:33, “Who shall bring any charge against,” there’s the term, “God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn?” Rhetorical question. Answer: No one. “Christ Jesus is the one who died, more than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Again, no one. This is Jesus’ point. This is Jesus’ point.

Go back to Luke 18:7. We see that God has already taken action and in our favor, and I need to draw your attention to this at this point, that if the unjust judge corresponds to God, the righteous judge, to whom does the widow correspond, here? To whom does the widow correspond? Well, in the parable, the widow represents God’s elect, doesn’t she, those who plead for God’s justice against their adversaries.

So as Noah endured the scoffing of the people in his world while he awaited the justice of God, and as Lot endured the wickedness of the sodomites who surrounded his house and threatened his safety, God’s elect are in every age. We know that they are opposed by the world. They’re persecuted by the unbelieving, they’re persecuted and chased by the ungodly of the world. It’s just all part of the testing, comes with the package.

Jesus, says, John 15, “If they hated me, they’re going to hate you, too.” If the world loves you, be warned. If you’re not enduring any scorn, any persecution, any marginalization, any ostracizing, if everything’s easy for you, be warned. That could be a judgment on your life if everything’s easy. Beloved, we need to be clear. We need to lift up the clarity of the gospel so that people know whose side we’re on, and when they know whose side we’re on, believe me, if you’re clear and you’re right about the gospel, you’re going to endure suffering.

Keep in mind, though, God has already acted on your behalf. He’s chosen his own people out of the unbelieving, ungodly world, and he didn’t choose them based on any merit of their own, but solely by his grace, according to his good pleasure, and for the praise of his glorious grace.

The widow in the story, we can see that she merited justice in her favor, as anybody who has, does, who has been unjustly treated. You can be sure that God sees all of that, that the judge of the earth will do what’s right. We’ve been saying his essence, which is immutable, is righteous. And so his justice is certain, and the execution of his justice is sure.

But what about us? Do we merit God’s judgment in our favor? Are we somehow worthy of being named among God’s elect? Not at all. Remember Romans 5:6? “While we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died,” for whom, “for the ungodly,” right? And, verse 8, Romans chapter 5, “God shows his love for us in that while we were,” what, lovable? “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And therefore,” Romans 5:10, “if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more,” now that we’re reconciled, now that we’re friends, “shall we be saved by his life.”

This brings us to a fourth assurance. Jesus told this parable to illustrate how unlike the unrighteous judge is to our God, so that we can grow strong in assurance, so that we can be encouraged to pray. And so, fourth assurance, here: God’s heart is tender toward his elect. God’s heart is tender toward his elect. He’s not hard like this judge was to the widow. He doesn’t harden his compassion against us. His heart is soft, tender toward us. “Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night?” Of course, of course, he will. He will vindicate them.

As we’ve seen, God is not like the unjust judge. Unlike the capricious and unrighteous judge, justice is an attribute of his being. He must do justice. Unlike a lazy, self-indulgent judge, God takes action. In fact, unlike the stubborn, immovable judge, God has already taken action in favor of the elect. God isn’t compelled to take action because of any merit in his elect, but because of his own gracious choice. While they were yet sinners, while they were ungodly, while they were enemies of his, Christ died for them.

But this, at this point, this raises a question for us, doesn’t it? If God’s heart is so favorable toward us, if he is so tender toward his elect, then why does it seem to us like his answers to the cry out for justice among his people are so long in coming? I mean, why pray? That’s the basic question. Why pray? Why must they cry out to him day and night?

Notice the last sentence, there, in verse 7. In the ESV and other translations, it’s translated, there, as a question. It says, “Will he delay long over them?” The verb, there, is makrothymeo, literally, long wrathed is the verb, but it’s the verb for patience. And so this sentence is best translated not as a question, but as a statement of explanation. And here’s, it’s just simply a statement: He is patient toward them. He’s patient toward them. He is forbearing with them. This is intended to give us further assurance, here.

So in other words, this is not another rhetorical question as it’s kind of given in our text, in our English Bibles. Jesus is not trying to assure us, here, in the statement that God does not delay or doesn’t seem to delay. The simple fact is that according to our perception, from a limited human perspective, the answers to our prayers truly do seem to be delayed. In fact, it’s because of apparent delays to our prayers that God’s elect cry out to him day and night for a justice that they have yet to receive.

This is why Jesus told the parable. It’s in light of our vulnerability. “Being tempted in this regard, he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” That’s the whole purpose of this. So why would Jesus acknowledge the temptation to stop praying and to potentially lose heart in light of a delay, only to tell us at the end of verse 7 that God really doesn’t delay? Is the delay an indication, simply a matter of our imagination? No, it’s not. We’ve waited 2,000 years for our Lord to come, and we’re waiting right now, this moment. I would love for him to interrupt the sermon, take us all to heaven.

What we fail to notice, though, because we lack the right perspective, what we fail to perceive because we’re not thinking rightly about this, is that the divine, there’s a divine reason behind any apparent delay in the execution of justice. There’s an intentionality behind this. We need to understand that when Jesus says God is makrothymeo over them, he is patient with them. He is forbearing with them. He’s telling us why there seems to be a delay in justice. When it seems that the answer to our prayer is delayed, when it seems like justice is not happening, Jesus assures us here, oh, yes it is. It actually is very much.

If we’ll broaden out our perspective, we’ll realize that along with God’s justice, God’s patience is also at work. Peter echoes this same theme from our Lord, that in spite of apparent delays, in spite of a seeming slowness, we need to understand that that’s, that sense of slowness that we have is actually an indication of God’s patience, and that’s a good thing. Aren’t you thankful that the moment before you became a Christian, God didn’t call time on the whole project, say, okay, enough, enough. I’ve, I’ve saved enough people. And you’re like, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait a minute. Couldn’t you be patient one more hour?

God is patient. Peter echoes the same theme. He assures his persecuted readers in the same way, 2 Peter chapter 3 verses 8- and 9, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as 1,000 years and 1,000 years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Some people get tripped up over that last verse, so let me expand Peter’s thought, here, and make it very plain. “The Lord is patient toward you.” You: Who’s that? Who’s he talking about? Well, he’s talking about the elect. 2 Peter 1:1, “Those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” So when he says, “The Lord is patient toward you,” he is not wishing that any of you should perish, but that all of you should reach repentance. Who’s the you? It’s the elect, as a group, Peter’s speaking of.

God’s interest is not only for the concern of single individuals among the elect and all of our individual causes, though he is concerned about every single one of them. He’s concerned to bring the elect as a whole, all of them, to come to repentance, as he has chosen. So in his patience, God forbears. God waits, makrothymeo, for them, for all of them to reach repentance, and they most certainly will, as Jesus said, John 6:39-40, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. But this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Done deal. Think nothing more of it except to see how it benefits you. Then think about it a lot.

But while God’s elect wait, at every time, in every place, whether we’re waiting as individuals or as a remnant of persecuted saints, waiting is what gives rise to this cry for justice. Waiting is why we cry out day and night. The waiting, especially in the face of great injustices toward us, it’s what drives us to persistent prayer. Keep in mind, while God exercises patience for his elect as a group, as a whole, not willing that any of that elect people should perish, but all will come to repentance, saving faith, at the very same time, at the very same instance, he’s noticed every single injustice. He’s marked every single sorrow of yours. He’s traced every single tear.

And it’s in knowing that, that all of God’s elect are encouraged to come to him in prayer, to cry out to him in prayer. It’s the same cry, isn’t it, for all the elect throughout all ages, in every age and every time. And that’s why we have the Psalms, isn’t it? It’s why we have the Psalms. It’s, David has given voice to this time and time again, asking the question that we’re all asking, “How long, O Lord, how long?”

In fact, just to illustrate this, turn back in your Bibles to some of David’s Psalms, going back to Psalm, starting with Psalm 6. Just a couple of these, and they’re short ones, but Psalm 6. And you hear this coming out of David as David says, “O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.” You know what David didn’t understand fully that we do fully? You understand how that could be true, that God takes, he has removed his anger and his wrath from us because he’s punished his one and only son as a covering for us, as an atoning sacrifice.

“Be gracious to me, O Lord,” verse 2, “for I am languishing. Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord, how long? Turn, O Lord, deliver my life. Save me for the sake of your steadfast love. For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? I’m weary with my moaning. Every night I flood my bed with tears. I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief. It grows weak because of all my foes. Depart from me, all you workers of evil. For the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea. The Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled.” That’s retributive justice, there. “They shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.”

I realize that there are some among you who are young. I’ve been young, and now I’m a little bit older, and I remember when I was young, reading through psalms like this and saying, man, I don’t have these kind of griefs. I mean, weary with moaning every night, flooding my bed with tears, drenching my couch with weeping? Wow, what a bummer of a guy to be around, you know, and be like, what’s, what’s up with that?

It’s taken some years to understand what David says, and as time goes by, and you see people become faithless, when you see close people that you love dearly depart from the truth, as you see the effect of sin in people’s lives. I mean, in your 20s, I realize sin looks like a lot of fun, but as you get into your 30’s and 40’s and you see the effect on people’s lives, it ain’t so fun anymore. There’s nothing but a whole host of bad consequences, and every choice is a choice between what’s really bad and what’s really, really bad. Sin mangles the soul. It hurts people that we love.

And so I understand that, praying with moaning, weary because of it, weeping, drenching my pillow with tears. And the older you are in the faith, and if you’re mature in the faith, you understand exactly what I’m talking about, what David has prayed here sounds very similar to the widow’s plea, but it comes, comes right out of a heart of faith, doesn’t it? He trusts the Lord’s character. He trusts in his steadfast love.

Psalm 13, David says, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” I’ve got the sense that you’re not listening. “How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider, answer me, O Lord my God. Light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, unless my enemies say ‘I’ve prevailed over him,’ lest my foes rejoice because I’m shaken.

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” He steadies himself once again, doesn’t he, in the steadfast love of the Lord: immovable, unshakable, never-changing. Again, similar to the widow’s plea for vindication, the exercise of justice, David once again rests, though, in faith, doesn’t he? He trusts in the Lord’s steadfast love.

A few verses from Psalm 35, Psalm 35:17, same thing, “How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions,” and then down in verse 23 of that chapter, “Awake, rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord. Vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to your righteousness. Let them not rejoice over me.”

Again, cries out, David cries out for vindication. It’s based on God’s perfect righteousness. He appeals to God’s character and the immutability of his nature on the basis, that is the basis of his claim. We see the same kind of thing in Psalm 63, only we see a maturing David. This is the most resolved, confident of all these psalms. David prays, Psalm 63, “O God, you are my God. Earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you. My flesh faints for you as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

“So I’ve looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you, and so I will bless you as long as I live. In your name, I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips when I remember you upon my bed, meditate upon you in the watches of the night, for you’ve been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I’ll sing for joy.

“My soul clings to you. Your right hand upholds me. But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth. They shall be given over to the power of the sword. They shall be apportioned for the jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God. All who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.”

That’s a mature David, there, and that is what God wants to produce in each and every one of us, that confident heart of believing, persistent prayer that says, I thirst for my God, I faint for my God, I cling to my God, and I call out to him day and night. But I know his steadfast love will hold me up. His character never changes, and that means good for me and also means justice for all my enemies. Be worth your time to read, study, meditate on these psalms in greater depth, see the progression in David’s thinking, settled confidence from trusting in God’s justice, relying on God’s unchanging nature.

I’m not sure if you noticed it, but David used the term hesed in each of those psalms, to settle his heart in faith, settle his heart in faith. I want to make sure and say that clearly. But the word hesed, often translated steadfast love, is for David and for other saints, it’s a summary expression of God’s fixed gracious, faithful character. The term hesed comes from God’s revelation of himself to Moses, and this is what every Old Testament saint banked on. This is what they looked back to.

In Exodus chapter 34:6-7, when Moses, remember, Moses cried out in prayer, “Show me your glory.” He’s about to be assassinated by his own people so they can all go back to Egypt, and God’s about to give up on them and destroy them. And, and Moses in, and, Mo, God’s going send him forward as the mediator of his own people. And Moses says, “No, I’m not going to go unless you’re going to go with me. Show me your glory.”

So in Exodus 34:6-7, “The Lord passed before Moses and said, ‘The Lord, the Lord,’” the term is Yahweh. Yahweh, the divine name, “‘a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping,’” and here’s the term, “‘steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.’”

That’s a declaration of God’s character. It’s a declaration of his action, which is based on his character. And now David’s greater son, Jesus Christ, but David’s greater son, the Lord Jesus Christ, he commends the same confidence to God’s elect. “Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day or night? He is patient toward them, but I tell you,” verse 8, “he will give justice to them speedily.”

Different ways to take that final word translated here as speedily, which I think is a very good translation. It’s a prepositional phrase, entache, the word tachos. It’s where we get the word tachometer. Tachometer is an instrument that measures the rotation and speed in an engine. So it’s, it’s measuring speed. Entache it’s talking about speed here, haste.

Once again, in contrast to the unjust judge, who delayed in making a decision in the interest of justice, he was intentionally slow dragging his feet because he refused justice, even the concept. But that cannot be said about God. No matter what God’s answers to prayer may seem like for us in our limited, time-bound perspective, for any injustice committed against God’s elect, the judgment of God is truly, listen, whether we perceive it or not, the judgment of God, we must realize his judgment for us, is immediate. Immediate.

God speedily makes a decision in the favor of the elect, deciding always for justice. You say, but I’m not always right in my prayers. I’m not, I’m sometimes sinful in the way I act and speak and, and pray even. Oh yes, but remember that cross upon which Jesus died to forgive all of your sin, past, present, and future, remember that? God has already taken action and justified you for anything negative.

What about your prayers in the positive, where there really is an injustice done to you? Does he act speedily in that way? God does speedily make a decision in the favor of the elect because his will is always deciding for justice. That decision happens immediately as soon as any injustice is done to you. God has already decided on that.

Now it’s just a matter of when is he going to vindicate that? When is the action going to come, even if it seems like a long time passes while we are waiting on the execution of God’s justice? If we could escape our time-bound, limited perspective, if we could see time from the standpoint of eternity, we would see as God sees, that divine justice is always speedy, indeed. I mean, what are these few thousand years of human history in comparison to all of eternity? It’s like one drop of water in an ocean of time, all of human history in a droplet of water.

That’s why with the Lord, one day is as 1,000 years, 1,000 years is as one day. We just need to trust him in this, don’t we? We need to wait patiently on him, keep on praying so we don’t ever become discouraged, so we don’t ever lose heart, lest sin take root and abound in us.

Well, having delivered this instruction, the Lord leaves his disciples with a question to ponder. We’ve heard the judge’s confession, we’ve listened to the Lord’s instruction, and he explains why it may seem to us like justice is delayed, but it’s not. Justice has already been decided in your favor, and it just remains for the execution of it, which is going to happen. In your hindsight, as you look back in retrospect, you’re going to say, man, that happened quickly. May not feel like it now, but it’s true.

So he’s delivered this instruction. Now he gives us a question to ponder. We need to reflect soberly on this, end of verse 8, the Lord’s question. The Lord’s question, end of verse 8, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Nevertheless. Why does he say that? He’s saying, in, in contradiction to all that I’ve just assured you about God’s immutable character, the fact that he does and will do justice, the fact that he’s already done justice, and the fact that any delay that you perceive is because he wants to bring in all the elect of your people, all the brothers and sisters of Christ Jesus himself. He’s doing it for their sake, and there’s a waiting going on, it’s all a part of the divine timetable, it’s all part of the plan and nevertheless, even though I’ve given you such strong assurance in those verses, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

What a sad question. He’s pensive here. The Lord Jesus Christ in his humanity is looking ahead to when the Son of Man returns. He himself knows not the day or the hour. He looks ahead to that time and says, “Will the Son of Man find it?” Literally, it’s the faith. The definite article is there in the context. He’s talking about, not faith like it is in all believing. It’s not an objective faith as in the objective faith once for all delivered to the saints, the Bible. He’s not saying the Bible is going to be gone, truth is going to be gone. He’s not saying that. He’s not talking about believing unto salvation at all.

He’s talking about the faith, the kind of faith that’s symbolized by the persistent pleading of the widow, that’s realized in the persistent prayers of the elect. Will that kind of faith be there? And we have to admit, don’t we, we’ve got to ask our question, or that question now, for us, don’t we?

God has chosen to test his people with time. And so far it’s a 2,000-year test and counting. That means it’s been a test of many, many Christian lifetimes. It’s a test of the saints throughout the ages. That’s why there’s such a precious Hall of Faith given in Hebrews chapter 11. See the, the test of time and how these saints overcame.

Now it’s our turn. It’s our turn. Will we pass the test? Will Christ upon his return find his people praying? Will he find you, when the Lord comes to take you to himself, will he find you prayerful, not losing heart? The English Baptist pastor Charles Spurgeon exhorted his flock, saying, “Brethren, guard well your faith. Guard well your faith.” He goes on to say, “You, you’ve been looking for a great many things in yourself. My brother, let me entreat you to look to your faith. What if love grow cold? Oh, I’m sorry for it. But after all, the frost must have begun in your faith. You are not so active as you used to be. That is to be greatly regretted.

“But the streams run low because the well-head is not so full as it was wont to be. Your faith is failing. Oh, that your soul were fed upon divine realities. Oh, that you had vivid consciousness of the certainty of God’s presence and power. When faith is strong, all the other graces are vigorous. The branches flourish when the root sucks up abundant nutrient, and when faith is in a healthy state, all the rest of the spiritual man will be vigorous also. Brethren, guard well your faith.”

Listen, the telltale quality of God’s elect is perseverance. We say this all the time: Time and truth go hand in hand. You want to see who’s really on your side? See who’s there at the end, not the beginning. The true people of God, they remain. In John 15 terms, they abide in Christ. They walk in the truth. They continue in obedience. They keep on praying. They keep on believing. They keep on loving, hoping, doing good works of faith. They keep on attending to the means of grace in the local church, week after week after week, attending to the ordinances: baptism, the Lord’s Supper. They’re obedient to the Lord, like David of old. We wait by praying, by trusting in God and like Jesus, God’s chosen one. He, too, cried out to the Father day and night, sets the pattern for us as God’s elect.

Again, Mr. Spurgeon says this, “Warm-hearted saints keep each other warm. Cold also is contagious. When sin abounds, saints may be able to stand against it. Yet it has a sad tendency to chill their faith. If the Master comes and finds us lukewarm, it will be a calamity, indeed. The Lord’s question,” he’s talking about the question here in our text, “the Lord’s question stirs a bitter anguish in my soul. I trust it moves you also. It is a question. I cannot answer it, but I open wide the doors of my heart to let it enter and try me. It acts like a fan in the Lord’s hand to purge the floor. It sweeps away my self-confidence and leads me to watch and pray that I enter not into the temptation of giving up my faith. I pray that we may stand fast when others slide, so that when the Lord cometh, we may be found accepted of him.”

So says Mr. Spurgeon to his church in his time. And today, beloved, I make the same appeal to all of you. Brothers and sisters, guard well your faith. Tend to it. Look after it. Want to know the measure of your faith? Examine your prayer life. It’s a good place to start. Beyond that, examine your giving. Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Are you living and praying in the light of the Lord’s return, or have you become weary in well-doing? If you’ve become weary, listen, my friends, repentance is always on offer. Our God is gracious. He’s already acted in your favor. He’s justified you by his grace. So run to him. Run now. May we all, individually and collectively, as the elect, return to the Lord in fervent and persistent prayer. Amen?

Our Father, we thank you so much for the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. You sent him that we might know the truth and that we might be encouraged in the faith that we have received from you as a gift. And we ask, dear Father, that you would be pleased to make us faithful, persistent in prayer, always watching, always waiting, always hoping, always expecting. Let us be found working for your purposes when you come, when you send Jesus Christ to rapture the church, when you send Jesus Christ to rapture all the saints at his second coming. We pray, Father, that you would keep us faithful until that time, for your sake, for your glory. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.