CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL - Topic: THE PERSISTENT WIDOW [Church of God Mission International] - SUNDAY 8TH, JANUARY 2023.

CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL – Topic: THE PERSISTENT WIDOW [Church of God Mission International] – SUNDAY 8TH, JANUARY 2023.

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CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL*
SUNDAY 8TH, JANUARY 2023.

HYMN: S. S. & S. 201 “Spirit Divine! Attend our Prayers…”

TOPIC: THE PERSISTENT WIDOW.

TEXT: Luke 18:1-8

CENTRAL THOUGHT
Persistence in prayer is a sure way of receiving answers to our prayers.

INTRODUCTION:

Prayer is a means of communicating with God. Through prayers, we can make our request known to God. It is a known fact that our God answers prayers. The Psalmist declares “O thou that answereth prayer into thee shall all flesh come” (Psa. 65:2). Therefore, God expects us as His children to come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. God takes delight in His children always seeking Him and He ensures that He also grants their requests.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was an example for us to follow in terms of being persistent in prayer. He even went further to give a parable to the fact that men give a parable that men ought to pray and not to faint. The parable of the persistent widow illustrates to us that if we persistently present our petition to God who is the righteous Judge, our requests will surely be granted and our joy shall be full.
This study seeks to encourage believers to pray persistently.

LESSON OBJECTIVES:
The lesson objectives are to:

know what it means to be persistent in prayer;
discuss why we need to be persistent in prayer;
identify some of the dangers of not being persistent in prayer; and
mention and discuss the benefits of persistent prayer.

BIBLE TRUTH:

Q1. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE PERSISTENT IN PRAYER? (Luke 18:1; 1Thess. 5:17; Matt. 26:36-46; Dan. 10:2-3, 12-13)
To be persistent means continuing firmly or obstinately in an opinion or a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. Therefore, to be persistent in prayer has to do with praying always and not giving up, to pray without ceasing; consciously continuing in prayer even in the face of weakness and agony of the Soul. Persistence in prayer may also involve a period of mourning, fasting and depriving oneself of some leisure.Being persistent in prayer is the fact that one continues in faith until the answer comes.

Q2a. DOES IT MEAN GOD DOES NOT ANSWER PRAYER AT ONCE EXCEPT WE KEEP ON ASKING? (Matt. 7:7-8; John 14:13-14, 16:24)*
Our God is Almighty, all powerful and He has the ability to do as He pleases. No man can stop Him or question His authority.”Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him.”( Psa 115 :3 NIV). We must realise that God’s sphere of influence is boundless. “The LORD does whatever please Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths” (Psa. 135:6. NIV). God
chooses when to answer prayers whether at once or sometime later. He is sovereign and knows the best time and season to grant our requests. God’s timing is always the best. He knows what is best for us, if we are asking for what may not be for our good or well-being, we may not get the answer we expect no matter how persistent we may be in praying. Jesus rightly admonished us in the Scriptures; “Ask, and it shall be given you, seek, and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matt. 7:7-8). God is bound by His word. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has assured us that whatever we
ask in His Name, that will He do that the Father may be glorified in the Son. The onus lies therefore on the believer to ask rightly according to the will of the Father not doubting, living a life devoid of sin. God wants our joy to be full so He wants us to make our requests known to Him through persistent prayer. It should be stated here clearly that it is only God that has the prerogative on when and how to respond to our prayers because He knows the end from the beginning. His thoughts towards us are thoughts of peace and not of evil.

Q2b. WHY DO WE NEED TO BE PERSISTENT IN PRAYER? (Luke 18:1-8; James 1:3-4: Dan. 10:2-3, 12-13)
Prayer is one of the means of drawing closer to God. As we continually commune with God in the place of prayer, we can establish a closer fellowship with Him. This goes on to strengthen our faith in God and teaches us also to be patient as we wait on Him for His divine intervention in our case. We need to be persistent in prayer because we are constantly confronted by many trials and temptations. As a result of this, we must remain persistent in prayers in order to overcome the wiles of the devil and his cohorts. We need to be praying always and not to faint because in the times of adversity, persistent prayers strengthen our faith. “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy
strength is small” (Prov. 24:10).

Q3. WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF NOT BEING PERSISTENT IN PRAYER?
A person who is not persistent in prayer will be exposed to many dangers some of which are briefly stated below:
There is the tendency that such a person will be spiritually weak as a prayerless Christian will obviously be a powerless Christian. He/she may not receive anything from God as a result of not asking. There is a loss of confidence that God answer prayer. Prayerlessness or non-persistence in prayer may lead to backsliding. There may not be any physical manifestation of God’s divine intervention in such a person’s life. Ultimately, such a person may
not make heaven.

Q4. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PERSISTENT PRAYER?
There are many benefits of persistent prayer. Some of these include but not limited to those discussed below.
Peace and Joy are some of the benefits of persistent prayers. As we constantly present our petitions to God in the place of prayer, we are admonished in the Scriptures “Be careful for nothing: but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil.4:6-7). In the same vein, fullness of joy becomes our lot as a result of being persistent in prayers.
In response to our determination, faith and
patience, we will receive the physical manifestation of the result of the prayer offered unto the Lord.
Another benefit is that we enjoy closer fellowship with God and our relationship with Him is further strengthened.
Above all, being persistent in prayer enhances our growth and maturity in the things of the Spirit. Our faith is made
stronger as well as our spiritual life.

DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
Being persistent in prayer is a sure way of receiving from God. God expects us as
believers to pray always and not to faint. We must patiently look up to God as we present our petitions to Him in faith without wavering but being fully persuaded that what He had promised, He is also able to perform. God is pleased when we are determined, patient and put our faith in Him. We must pray with great expectation for our God is willing and ready to answer in our prayers. We must steadfastly hold on to God and never give up. As we pray, we shall experience spiritual growth and maturity in our Christian lives. We must therefore persevere and persist in our prayer, for in due time we shall reap.

MEMORY VERSE: 1 Thess. 5:17

“Pray without ceasing.”

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