Persevering in Prayer

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'"

And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

- Luke 18:1-8 (NIV)

Is God like that crooked judge? Of course not. Does He have to be pestered and coerced before He will answer your prayers? Not at all. So this is not a parable comparing God to the judge, but rather, contrasting Him with the judge. The striking contrast is evident at multiple points:

1. The widow was appealing as a stranger while God's people are appealing to Him as His beloved elect (1 Peter 2:9-10);

2. The widow could only appeal from a distance while we can come boldly before the Father (Hebrews 4:15-16);

3. The widow met with an unjust judge while we have a righteous Father who is for us (Romans 8:31-32);

4. The widow pleaded her own case but we have an Advocate (Romans 8:34);

5. The widow had no promise of an answer but we have abundant promises given to us (Jeremiah 33:3; John 16:24; Luke 18:8a);

6. The widow had limited access but we, who can pray to God anytime, have unlimited access;

7. The widow's asking provoked the judge but our asking delights God!

...Then comes the surprising twist to the whole parable. This is Jesus' chief point, made in the form of a compelling question: "However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

Will there be anyone left who trusts in God and does not give up on Him? In other words, will there be anyone laying hold of God and His purpose for his life in the last days in spite of very difficult circumstances?

Will there be anyone who has faith that God knows and that God cares? God knows what is happening and He cares to help in His time. God is faithful; therefore we can hold fast to God with a faith that does not lose heart nor give up.

Have you ever been disappointed by God? Have you ever asked God for something and not received an answer? Then you started pestering. Still nothing. At this point most of us give up. We simply quit praying. That is a big mistake - to give up on God. We are creatures of extremes. We pester too much and we give up too soon.

Some might say, "But I don't have strength to carry on." Strength is not what you need. Faith is! Strength comes from looking at yourself and your meagre resources. Faith comes from looking at GOD and His abundant resources!

The point of Jesus' parable is to have faith that God IS faithful. The widow's parable was told to remind us of God's faithfulness. A faithfulness that is sure. Thus we should appeal to God by faith, believing that He is the God of the "How Much More!" (cf. Luke 11:13) and trusting that because He knows best, He will answer with our best interests at heart. (Often, this means not answering our felt needs, but our real needs.)

The question is, will we persevere in faith in the faithfulness of God? 

- Edmund Chan, Growing Deep in Faith