october 20, 2024
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"Tenacity in the Trenches: The Power of Persistent Prayer" (Luke 18:1-8)
Luke 18:1-8
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 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? 8 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?”
Webster's dictionary defines a "parable" as “a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle.” Parables take things that are unclear or unpersuasive and they give them punch and clarity. The parables of Jesus have a lot of punch, but they didn’t always provide much clarity – at least at first. In fact, they often leave His listeners even more confused.
Luke states Jesus' intention in this parable right up front. Verse 1 says He told this parable to teach His disciples to pray and not give up.
1) We need an accurate view of God's character.
Things start to get sideways in a relationship when you start to question a person’s motives. When you know a person loves you and is for you, it helps you interpret things differently. Satan's oldest trick is to cause us to question God's goodness toward us.
We need to overcome our cynicism toward God and toward prayer if we want to pray without giving up. As Paul Miller says, low-level doubt opens the door for bigger doubt.
The Bible gives many examples of prayer moving the heart of God to an answer. He has designed things in such a way that He responds differently when people pray. 2 Kings 20:1-5 is a great example.
2) We need to trust God regardless of the answer.
Sometimes God answers immediately, as in the case with Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20. Jesus did say God will grant justice "quickly," but we must remember that His definition of "quickly" might different from ours. With God a thousand years is as a day and a day is as a thousand years.
God uses our painful times as a motivation to drive us toward seeking Him in prayer. Perhaps a reason He doesn't change our circumstances more quickly is that He wants us to be motivated to seek Him.
Practical Suggestions
- Develop a consistent prayer routine.
- Pray throughout the day.
- Organize your prayer lists.
- Share your prayer concerns with others.
- Read books that inspire you to pray. A few of my favorites are:
- A Praying Life by Paul Miller
- Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala
- Praying Hyde by E. G. Carre
A Prayer to Trust in Jesus:
“God, thank you for loving me even though I’ve rebelled against You. I confess that I’m sinful. I’m so grateful that Jesus died on the cross to pay for all my sins. Right now I turn away from my sins and I turn to You. I’m putting my full trust in Jesus to rescue me from my sins. Thank you for forgiving me and washing me clean on the inside. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
