1. Wrestling With God S T M ARY C OMPUTER C ENTER, E AST B RUNSWICK, NJ, Sunday School Computer Program© 2011

2. Memory Verse “And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you” -(Luke 11:9)

3. How Should We Pray?  We must pray using the same secret method that we use when we ask our parents for something, or when Jacob wrestled God.  What’s the secret method? persistence

4. Jacob Wrestles with God  When Jacob realized that his brother Esau was coming to meet him with an army, Jacob greatly feared.  He then wrestled (that is, prayed) with God all night, hoping to receive his blessings.

5. The Reward for Jacob’s Persistence  Through his persistence, Jacob received the Lord’s blessings and was renamed “Israel,” since he struggled and prevailed against both God and men.  Jacob met Esau with humility and Esau accepted the offerings that Jacob brought.

6. The Parable of the Persistent Widow  The Lord told the people “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you”  He then told the told the story of the persistent widow.  The widow requested from the unjust judge justice on her enemies.  The judge did not care at all about her or the justice she deserves.

7.  Yet, the judge decided to give the widow what she wanted out of the concern of his own well being.  The Lord pointed out that if even those who are unjust respond to persistence, don’t you think God will as well?  Persistence is the key to gaining what you want.  However, not everything that we pray for will be granted if it is not good for us, nor should we always pray for mundane things. The Parable of the Persistent Widow

8. Conclusion

9. Pray with Persistence  The Lord is willing to give us anything that we want, as long as He sees it as good for us and as long as we pray for it.  To pray for something once is not enough; it would show God that we don’t really care all that much for what we’re praying.  Consistently and persistently pray to God to give you what you desire.  What should we do once we have what we wanted?

10. Persistence Leads to Blessings  In both Jacob's story and in the parable of the persistent widow, the actions and results were the same:  When they were persistent and prayed to God, they were blessed, and therefore they received what they desired.

11. Persistence Leads to Blessings  A lot of the things that we do may or may not be blessed.  If it is blessed, then what we do will lead to the outcome that we want.  Ex: You study for a test. If you are blessed, then what you studied will be on the exam, and you will do well.  If it is not blessed, then what we do will not lead to the outcome that we want.  Ex: You study for a test. If you are not blessed, then what you studied will not be on the exam, and you will not do well.

12. What Should We Do?  Make a personal prayer today to God about something not worldly:  Pray to God to better love your enemies, to be grateful for what you have, to learn humility, etc.  Thank God for what you already have:  Parents, a loving church, good friends, caring servants, etc.  Thank God for what you don’t have:  Pain, bodily injuries or sicknesses, emptiness, too many worldly possessions

13. Memory Verse “And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you” -(Luke 11:9)

14. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzCdPnNrSFs&feature=related Watch a Video of the Persistent Widow Online!!!

15. Puzzle!!! http://www.saint-mary.net/sundayschool/games/Puzzle/Jesus.html S T M ARY C OMPUTER C ENTER, E AST B RUNSWICK, NJ, Sunday School Computer Program© 2011