Luke 18:1,
And the Apostle Paul, he picks up that same perspective in Ephesians 6:18,
When we come to prayer meetings on Wednesday night, we do focus most times on the subject of prayer, and the Bible has a lot to say about prayer, and most of it is very, very positive. The promises of prayer, the answers to prayer, encouragements to pray, so that it's just a wonderful, wonderful theology of prayer that, for the most part, is very, very positive. But as wonderful as prayer is, we know it's not easy. Right? Prayer can be very difficult. It might be the easiest thing to talk about, but the hardest thing to do consistently and faithfully.
And I would think that most Christians would say the two biggest challenges that we face as Christians when it comes to prayer, is the challenge of perseverance, not giving up; and the second one may be more common today than it might have been in years past, although the Puritans wrote on this very subject, the second challenge is staying focused, keep ourselves from a wandering mind.

Jesus presses the matter of perseverance in that parable of Luke 18, that widow comes before a wicked judge. And despite all that she's up against, she never gives up, she stays the course. And the Apostle Paul picks up this same perspective on perseverance with prayer in Ephesians chapter 6. It's a wartime context, he tells us to put on the whole armor of God, and then he goes through some of the specific pieces of weaponry that we have, and then he deals at the very back end with prayer, verse 18, persevering prayer. And then he says this, “keep alert with all perseverance.”

I'm sure all of us, all of us have had people in our lives, whether it's a sister, a brother, a parent, children who are unsaved. And I'm sure there have been times where you have prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed; sometimes there's a physical problem, or some other relational problem, and you've committed yourself to a long, protracted time of prayer. But often, often, I think that the matter of the unsaved, our loved ones, is at the top of the list. And you can sense that with the Apostle Paul when he talks in Romans 9. He said, “I'm speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying. My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” And he tells us why, “For I could wish that I myself were a curse cut off from Christ, for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”

And then the very next chapter, chapter 10, he gives himself to prayer. “Brothers,” he says, “my heart’s desire in prayer to God is for them that they may be saved.” And then again, going back to Jesus, in terms of what He teaches on prayer back in Luke 18, He understood the need for perseverance and so does the Apostle Paul. "Christian, don't give up!” That's what they're saying, “Don't give up.” And just as an encouragement, the conversions of Augustine, John Newton, D.L. Moody, and C.H. Spurgeon, from the human side of things, were in large measure attributed to their praying mothers. So when it comes to prayer, there's the big challenge, persevere, don't give up.

But there's another big challenge when it comes to prayer. It's the challenge with regard to distraction or a wandering mind. Ephesians 6, go back to that text, Paul hits that note here as well, verse 18, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication to that end.” Look what he says, “Keep alert with all perseverance.” We are living, they say, in the most distracted age in human history. And one of our biggest battles is to have our minds staying focused, keeping alert. Or 2 Corinthians 10, “taking every thought captive.” And yes, probably the hardest time for us to discipline our minds, might be when you are listening to preaching and when you're praying. Listening to preaching and when you're praying. Why is that? Well, sin. Big problem, sin makes us less alert. Worry often takes our minds away from the most important things. Remember anxious Martha, “You are distracted about many things.” So, when you're worrying, you're not generally a good person to be in a state of listening and to preaching, or even praying.

But something else we can't forget when we think of distraction, and that's the devil. He's always active. In the parable of the sower, this has come to my mind many times, Jesus lets us know that the devil operates like the birds of the air. And when the seed is sown, he comes like the birds to pick up the seed. That is, he doesn't want that seed to find a resting place, so he comes as quickly as possible to take away the seed that is sown. So I put it this way, the devil doesn't want us to hear faithful preaching and he doesn't want us to engage in faithful praying. The devil is afraid of two things in terms of taking down his kingdom. It's when Christians and unconverted people are sitting under biblical preaching, and when we are engaged in faithful praying. He's afraid of faithful Holy Ghost owned preaching, and he's afraid of faithful Holy Ghost inspired praying. And he will do whatever he has to do to keep us from both.

And so, when we pray, don’t forget perseverance, and don't forget the danger of distraction or a wandering mind. As we go to prayer let's be on guard, let's be listening to the prayers of the men as they pray, but also to the kingdom concerns that we will hear.