The Healing Word

Pastor Jack Morris: If you can pray according to the Kingdom of God, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done," and we can all pray that one. If you can pray that one, God says, "I'm going to open the windows of heaven. I'm going to bless you. I'm going to bless you whether you live in town or in the country. I'm going to bless every child that comes into your home. I'm going to bless your job. I'm going to bless you financially. I'm going to bless you when you take a trip, you're coming out, you're going in. Everything you touch and put your hand to, I'm going to bless."

Guest (Male): We're grateful you joined us today. Sometimes people think God is reluctant to bless them, but scripture teaches the opposite. Today, Pastor Jack Morris reminds us that God delights in pouring out abundant blessings on His people.

Pastor Jack Morris: God has a lot to do, doesn't He? He has a big universe to take care of. He has the cosmos. It's big. How big is it? Only God Himself knows. There are angels to take care of. There are harps to tune. There's a lot of things for God to do. He doesn't have time to listen to my little puny prayer. He has big things to do, great things to do. God's busy, isn't He? And I have some little tiny prayer: "Bless me, help me, I need help."

God's got important things to do. Will He hear my little selfish petition? In fact, I almost feel guilty and don't want to take His time to pray those little selfish prayers. Have you ever thought thoughts like that? That's just the opposite of the God that we serve. He's a great God, but He's a Father and He desires to bless His people, to bless you and me with blessings abundant. God really wants to do great things, and He's not too busy.

He wants us to pray because He wants to answer. He wants to bring forth His glory into your life and into mine. He wants to do something beautiful, but He wants us to ask Him. He really wants us to ask Him, and He waits to be gracious to us. This is a tremendous story today. It's a story of a judge that's unjust. He's a crooked lawyer, is what he is.

There's a poor widow lady that just doesn't have anything but to fall on this lawyer's mercy because there's a third person, a real scoundrel, a villain that is harassing her and troubling her. She really doesn't have anywhere else to turn. God is trying to give us a story here and is making it as realistic as He possibly can to help us to understand His great desire to answer prayer. Surely God wants to answer prayer. Surely He's not too busy to answer prayer.

The scripture is inundated with stories. Someone said, "When are you going to finish this series?" I'm going to finish this series in just a few weeks, but God's message declaring His desire to answer prayer is never finished. There's an abundance of evidence in the scripture telling us that God wants to answer prayer. In Luke chapter 18, Jesus talks to His disciples and He gives them a parable, a short story, to cause them to think.

That's what a parable is, to show them that they should always pray. No matter how big or how little the prayer is, we should always pray. That must mean that He's never too busy to answer our prayers because He wants us to always pray and not to give up. Then He tells this really wonderful story. I'm going to begin with the widow since she seems to be the principal person.

Look at verse three, Luke 18 verse three: "And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him," who is the unjust judge, "with a plea, her plea being, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'" It's never been easy being a widow, particularly 2,000 years ago. It was very, very difficult. For 2,000 years ago, women had no rights whatsoever. Now, if she had had a son, the son would have taken care of her.

He could have taken her in and provided for her needs and been there to protect her against her adversary. Apparently, she didn't have a son. So being a widow meant that she had no education, she had no property, she had no money, she had no status, she had no one to represent her. She had absolutely nothing. Here was this villain, this adversary, that just kept coming and coming.

I don't know whether he was threatening her physically, she was afraid of him because of a physical threat, or he was stealing funds that should have been coming to her, but he was taking advantage of this poor, weak, helpless woman. In her town was this judge. He was a crooked lawyer. Everybody knew he was crooked. Jesus knew he was crooked. How does Jesus describe this unjust judge?

In two crisp statements, Jesus knows us all and He knows us exactly how we are. He knew this judge. Verse two: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men." This judge didn't believe in a hereafter, and he didn't even care whether there was a hereafter. He never thought twice about standing someday in the presence of God and being accountable.

He lived his life then like most people live their life now: live like today is all you have. Just go for the gusto and forget that someday you're going to stand in the presence of God and give an account. All of us are. That's right. And there's not going to be any pets. He's no respecter of persons. He's going to judge the judge and judge me and judge you.

But this judge didn't care. He just didn't care. That's what Jesus said. He didn't care and he didn't care about people, either. In fact, he didn't like people. People were a nuisance to him. He used and abused people. People got in his way. People were a headache. He didn't like people. And here comes this widow lady.

She needed help. There wasn't any place else to go. She didn't have any money to bribe him. I mean, he was crooked and he more than likely would have taken a bribe, but she didn't have property, she didn't have money, she had no family to stand up for her. She didn't have anybody. So she just fell on the mercy of this unjust judge and she said, "Help me."

"There's this man in my neighborhood. He's bothering me. I'm scared to death of him. He's taking my funds. He's threatening me physically. I need help. I need help, and you're the only person, judge, you're the only person that can help me and I'm appealing to you." And that judge said, "Nuisance. Get away from me." But here's the neat part of the story, and I think this is as cute as it can be.

I'm not meaning to depreciate the circumstances this poor soul was in, but she wouldn't let that man alone. Every time he turned around, she was in his face. When he would leave work to go home, she followed him home. When he got up in the morning to go back to work, there she was again. When he went to the races, she followed him to the races. She was on him like a tick on a dog.

She wanted help, and she wouldn't give up. Now finally, being human, this unjust judge, she wore him down. He couldn't take it anymore. He really couldn't. The day finally came, not because he was a good man, because clearly he was not a good man, he was a bad man, he was an unjust judge. Finally, the day came, he threw up his hands and screamed, "I can't take it anymore! This woman's driving me crazy!"

"Somebody get her out of my office, out of my face! Help her! Fix the situation!" You see, this woman determined, "Until he kills me, until he jails me, until he helps me, whichever one comes first." So he finally gave in and he avenged her. He helped her. He gave in to her, not because he was a good man, but because she stayed in there. She wouldn't give up. Isn't that the story of the scripture?

Why did the Lord put this in the Bible? To teach us how much more God's going to do for us. It's a story in contrast. Jesus now interprets it. Verse six: "And the Lord said, 'Listen.'" He's now going to interpret this. He's going to now help us to understand how this relates to our relationship with God and to prayer. It's a story in contrast.

Everything that judge was, God is just the opposite. This is what He is saying. In other words, God is not unjust, He's just. God is not hesitant to help people, He wants to help people. God's not going to ignore us. He's going to do just the opposite. He's going to listen. Jesus is wanting us to understand this story completely and to understand it clearly.

This is the theme throughout all of the Old Testament, that God desires to be gracious to His people and bless His people. In the New Testament, the theme is just the same, but it is more clear than even in the Old Testament. Jesus is saying, "Now listen, God is not like that judge. God is a Father and we call Him Abba Father." Everything that judge was, God is just the opposite.

In Luke chapter 11, it was read here just a moment ago. If we ask our earthly father for a piece of bread, is our earthly father going to give us a stone to gnaw on? Is he going to mock us? If we ask for a fish, will he give us something poisonous like a snake? Look at the picture that Christ is painting for us and how clearly He's trying to show us the great extremes.

How much more will your Heavenly Father give good gifts, give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? If that unjust judge can do what he did and still be brought around, if your parents who are imperfect will bring good things to you, how much more? Say those words: how much more. How much more will your Heavenly Father give good things to them that ask Him?

How much more clear does our Heavenly Father have to be to help us to understand this? Deuteronomy chapter 28, here is the abundant blessing of God that began in the Old Testament and becomes much more clear even in the New Testament. In Deuteronomy chapter 28, the abundant blessings of God. In verse two it begins: "All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord God."

What are these blessings that will come upon us and accompany us? Do you really want to know what God's going to do for you if you ask? Do you really want to know? Here it is. Listen. You should have taken this down in your notes. "You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country." When you lived in town, I'll bless you. But when you want to buy a bigger house in the country, I'm even going to bless you then.

Verse four says, "The fruit of your womb will be blessed. I'm going to bless your kids. I'm going to bless your children. And the crops of your land and your young livestock and your calves. I'm going to bless your employment. I'm going to bless where you work. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed." Everything you put your hand to, what's He going to do? Bless.

There's not a place you live, there's not a child you bear, there's not a job you serve on but what I won't bless: abundant blessings. Look at verse six: "You will be blessed when you come in and when you go out." Every time you get in your car, every time you get out of your car, wherever you go, I'm going to be there to bless you and protect you. I'm your God. That's what He is saying.

Listen to verse 12 of that Deuteronomy 28: "The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of His bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands." Wow, isn't that marvelous? Why aren't we then being blessed like that? Why isn't that happening to us? Because some of us don't realize that we have a Father that is ready and gracious and willing.

Why don't we pray like we should pray, even about the little things? It's not the cosmos that God is interested in, it's you. It's me. It's us. There's nothing more sweet to Him than the voice of His child. When you begin to speak, God begins to listen. Do you ever pick up the phone and you hear your son on the other end or your daughter?

I pick up the phone and I hear a little voice saying, "Hi Papa." I'll tell you, I forget the church, I forget everything. That's sweet to me. When you speak to God because of His great love for you, when's the last time you prayed about anything or asked Him about something? You say, "Well, I think I did the other day." Hey, if you know something's the will of God and you can open the scripture.

If you can put your finger on the promise and you can hold it up to the Lord like George Muller did, the founder of the orphanage in England. He prayed seven million dollars into that orphanage to take care of those children. If you can find it in the Word and put your finger on it, if you have a witness of the Holy Spirit within you and the Holy Spirit has revealed to you that you should pray about this particular matter.

If you can pray according to the Kingdom of God, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done," and we can all pray that one. If you can pray that way, God says, "I'm going to open the windows of heaven. I'm going to bless you. I'm going to bless you whether you live in town or in the country. I'm going to bless every child that comes into your home. I'm going to bless your job. I'm going to bless you financially. I'm going to bless you when you take a trip, you're coming out, you're going in. Everything you touch and put your hand to, I'm going to bless."

That's my kind of God and my kind of religion. That's what the Word of God promises us. Friend, I have relied on those promises and promises like that, and I have indeed experienced and you have too. I've heard many of your testimonies. I wouldn't want to try to live in the country or live in the city or bring children into this world without the blessing of God. I wouldn't want to do that.

This is a tough world to live in. It really is. In the world you're going to have problems, but if you have God and He's in your heart and you have a communion with Him and that wonderful relationship through Christ, you can pray. Oh, you can pray. Or you can make it on your own. You can try to make it on your own, but you'll fail. You'll be hurt.

You're going to fall and skin your knees. You're going to moan and whine because you're going to have problems and you're going to have to do it in your own wisdom and your own strength in trying to overcome. But if you have God, you're going to have blessing: abundant blessing. I want to bow with you now and I want you to think about your family.

Does your family need help? Does your job need help? Your home? Things that you've been putting your hand to, trying, testing, things aren't going right. You have a Father. Don't ever forget who you are. You're His child. Don't ever forget who He is. Your voice is the sweetest of all sounds to His ear. Omnipotence waits to be gracious to you. Let's bow before Him.

Now bow just for a moment. Keep your heads bowed. I wonder, there's some of you here today, I really feel in my heart you need a special answer. You need special help with your family, with your career, where you live, I don't know what it might be, with your finances. But the Lord is here. We're bowing before the Lord with our eyes closed. Would you want to just put your hand up for just a moment?

I want to make sure I'm praying properly. Okay. All right. Just hold your hand up. My hand is up with yours. I wish I could touch every hand, put my palm right in your palm. Father God, I reach out to Your people today. The people You love. The people that Christ died for. People the Holy Spirit indwells. Your people, Your dear ones.

More precious to You than anyone else or anything else in all the universe because they're bought with the blood of Jesus. I reach out to them in Your name praying for Your blessing, Your abundant blessing, Deuteronomy chapter 28 blessing. Bless them whether they live in the country or whether they live in the city. Bless them where they work. Regardless of how difficult the job, the situation, bless them.

Their children, bless their children. Even when they're unruly and they're trying to live a Christian life and the children are having difficulty obeying and understanding, bless them. You're going to bring those children around. This is Your promise. You're going to open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing from the storehouse of Your love. It's going to be blessing. We thank You in the name of Jesus Christ. We thank You.

Guest (Male): God is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine. To explore more messages and encouragement, visit thehealingword.com and discover resources designed to strengthen your walk with God. If these broadcasts have been a blessing to you, we invite you to partner with us through a donation so that this ministry can continue reaching people with a message of hope. Thank you for listening today.