December 17: Unrelenting prayer

He then told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not become discouraged: “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect man. 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 man, yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so 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 to help them? I tell you that He will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on earth?”  (Luke 18:1-8 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Discouragement is a huge problem in life — like the demon in The Screwtape Letters says, “It is so hard for these creatures to persevere.” This is one of our biggest stumbling blocks. Our lives would be so much better, we would be so much more spiritual, and we would see so many more answers to prayer if we refused to get discouraged and were unwavering in our prayers.

The judge in this parable is very similar to situations in life that we face, he had no respect for God or people and yet was in a position of great power. In contrast, the widow was in a position of weakness — widows had no voice in business or in the courts in those times. He seemed all-powerful and she seemed powerless, but Jesus points out that her power lied in her persistence. 

Real prayer has to be stubborn and bold. It has to insist on God’s promises coming true. Real prayer does not stop until it receives the answer it is looking for. If we’re tempted to get discouraged or to give up, we have to remember that God is not an evil, uncaring judge, but a Father that loves us and finds pleasure in answering our prayers. He will answer swiftly, according to the Lord Jesus, even though it may seem a long time for us, His answer comes at the right time.

Jesus ends this passage with a warning that we would do well to pay close attention to: “when the Son of Man comes will He find that faith on earth?” The tendency is for the world to drift farther and farther away from God, and Jesus honestly wondered how many would have this type of persistent, bold, unrelenting, effective faith in the future. It’s definitely not the norm. If we have it, it’s because we are going out of our way to encourage it.