THE BOTTOM LINE
Mark LaCour
"Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart . (Luke 18:1). "As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up, cry or pray for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you." (Jer. 7:16). "There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. (1 Jn. 5:16c).
To pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) isn't the same as to pray without discernment. There is a difference between not knowing how to pray (Rom. 8:26), and wasting our prayers when we do pray. While we're never to lose heart, there are times when God loses interest. When a judge throws a case out of court, it's useless to file a motion or submit a brief.
So where is the line drawn between persevering in unanswered prayer for someone (Lk. 11:8), and wasting our time? As long as the Judge is on the bench, regardless of the overwhelming incriminating evidence against our "client," there is hope. But an empty courtroom is another matter.
Two observations on wasted intercession: First, we're to pray for the ignorant (1 Tim. 1:13) and struggling (1 Jn. 5:16), but the long-standing recalcitrant is a different matter. Pharisees were to be left alone (Matt. 15:14), the inhabitants of Jerusalem were to be abandoned to their destruction (Jer. 15:1-3). There comes a point of no return where a seared conscience gives way to a seared God (Ezek. 3:27; Rev. 22:11). Abraham prayed for a struggling Lot in Sodom (Gen. 18:23ff; 2 Pet. 2:7-8), but Christ never prayed for hardened pharisees in Israel (Matt. 23:38). While yesterday's sin might be the same as today's, it's never the same. Neither is prayer.
Second, prayer is useless when the person being prayed for carries no burden in our heart from the Lord. God expects us to pray with confidence (1 Jn. 3:21) and with much assurance of being heard (1 Jn. 5:14-15). Sinners do need prayer. But Spirit-crafted prayers (Rom. 8:26) will possess the Spirit¢s liberty (2 Cor. 3:17). It's one thing for our prayers to be hindered due to some deficiency in us -- unconfessed sin (Ps. 66:18), neglect of the poor (Prov. 21:13), lack of honor for our wives (1 Pet. 3:7), unsettled issues with the brethren (Matt. 5:23-25); it's another when the request itself is deficient. Being in "contempt of court" and not having a case are two different issues. Both Peter and Judas denied Christ -- but Christ carried the "burden" of prayer for only one (Lk. 22:31).
As long as we can pray for someone, we should -- we must. No one is saved apart from intercession. But while the gates of heaven never close (Rev. 21:25), the ability to find that gate many times does. May the Lord always keep court in session for those you bring before Him.