Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up. “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect people. And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ “For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out by her persistent coming.’” Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them? I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:1-8 CSB
Don’t Give Up
Jesus taught the parable of the persistent widow as an example for us that we should pray continually and not lose heart. In this parable, the widow was asking for justice against an adversary. She is petitioning an unjust judge, who does not love or respect God and has no compassion for the people. He told the widow “no” to her request, but she kept asking. Eventually the judge decided that he would give her justice so she would leave him alone.
Jesus’ point was if an ungodly, unloving and unjust judge gives justice, how much more will God grant justice (or answer prayers) to his children who cry out to him? The judge did not even care about the widow, but God loves us with an unfailing love and always wants the very best for us.
God hears our prayers and even when it feels like he is silent, he is never absent, and he is always working. It feels hopeless when it seems like he is not listening. It is never that he is not listening. He will always hear us when we call out to him, and he will never ignore our cry. He wants us to call out to him, faithfully and persistently. But he also wants us to trust him and know that he will work things out in the very best way for his glory and our good. We can trust in his timing and his perfect will for us, even when we don’t like the answer or understand it.
Jesus spoke many times on how faithful and persistent we should be in our prayer. Prayer is a direct line of communication to God and that is how we get to know him even more. The more time we spend in prayer with him, the more we will know him and be transformed into his image.
Pray constantly… 1 Thessalonians 5:17
God loves it when we talk to Him. We are His children, and He wants us to be in a state of communication with Him always. It is easy to pray when something happens, but the temptation is also there to reach for a quick fix to our problems. Praying usually requires waiting and trusting. We want God to fix things fast, but God is the perfect answer to all our needs, and we always have instant access to Him. Keep your connection to Him open and talk to Him about everything as you go through your day. And when you are waiting, keep praying. When you are wondering, keep praying. When you start to doubt, pray harder. When it feels like you can’t do it anymore, call on the Holy Spirit to intercede. When it is too heavy to carry anymore, (you were never supposed to carry it…) lay it at his feet.
What have you stopped asking him for? Are there broken dreams, broken relationships, financial problems, career
Who have you stopped praying for? Are there lost loved ones or friends that you stopped praying for?
It is not too late to start praying again. Take it back to him. He is faithful. He is just. He is loving, kind, and compassionate. He wants you to bring your broken dreams and shattered hearts. And he is never slow – it only feels slow to us as the days, weeks, months, and even years sometimes go by in what feels like silence from him.
While you wait… Always pray but also seek the Lord and what he may be wanting to do in your heart during this time. Stop focusing on what God is not doing and see how he wants to transform you during this season.
