Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1 (NIV)
When I look at my prayer list and find blank spaces in the “Answered on This Date” column, the following parable becomes a bedtime story that comforts my soul so my sleep is undisturbed despite the blanks. It’s a “bedtime” story Jesus told in the daylight. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.” Luke 18:2 (NIV).
The story describes an interchange between the judge and a widow who’d been wronged. She asked for justice. The judge refused. Providing justice for an uninfluential widow held no priority for him. She kept asking. And asking. And asking. Finally, the judge gave in. She bothered and embarrassed him. He gave her what she needed so she’d leave him alone.
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At first reading, I wondered what Jesus could have meant by using that example. Our Judge is not unjust. He exudes compassion. He not only respects but cares for our every need. Begging seems to disrespect both God and our humanity. But Jesus tells us specifically at the beginning of the story that He wants us to find within it encouragement to pray continuously and not grow discouraged. He bookends the story with this poignant line: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8 (NIV).
Jesus is faithful to us, faithful to answer quickly or to hold us tightly if the answer is slower in coming. The real question is, “Will we be faithful to ask, to keep asking, and to trust Him?”
Faith Step: What request is lingering on your prayer list? Put a gold star next to that request—an award for endurance—and keep praying.
