“Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8 NAS)
We refer to this story as ‘the parable of the unjust judge,’ but it should be called The Parable of the Determined Widow or The Story of Consistent Prayer. The example set before us is the widow and her determination to get her request. And our Lord, who knows our needs before we request them, encourages us “to pray and not to lose heart” when we ask for them.
The example he sets forth is the widow’s ceaseless pleas before the court. The wicked judge wasn’t moved by this poor widow’s social stature. He didn’t care a whit about her influence in the community. He wasn’t afraid of what she or her family and friends could do to him. He didn’t even care that God might be on her side. Justice didn’t fit the criteria of his court and certainly mercy wasn’t considered.
Jesus declared that this wicked judge was conquered by this widow’s ceaseless, determined pleas before the court. This judge was a wicked and shrewd man. He realized real quick that this woman had the intestinal fortitude to not give up. Perhaps, he could see in her eyes or her demeanor that failure was not an option. He was going to see her and listen to her case, again and again, until she received satisfaction from the court.
This story encourages us on several levels. Our Heavenly Father IS NOT LIKE the wicked judge. Our God and Father is attentive and fair in his answers to our requests. In fact, our Heavenly Father gives more attention to our prayers than the wicked judge gave to the continual pleas of this poor widow. The wicked judge relented only because of the widow’s unrelenting requests. God, on the other hand, likes for his children to come continually to him with all their requests.
Dear Father, thank you for responding to all our requests. Empower us with a strong faith that we might make our every request known to you continuously. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be courageous today, do not give up on your requests to God,