And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Luke 18:1-8 (ESV)
At some point or another, we have all experienced the sibling or friend who will not stop pestering us. It usually happens in a closed space—like a car—in which our nerves are tested to the limits. Perhaps even as a parent, we have felt our tensions rise when a child won’t stop pulling at our pants leg and yelling our name. As much as we indeed love him or her, we want to banish them to the great outdoors until the streetlights come one.
The good news is that our heavenly Father wants us to pursue Him with an unending zeal, and He never grows tired of our crying or pulling. We see this truth in action in a parable Jesus tells in Luke 18. In this parable, a persistent widow continues pleading her case to an earthly judge who does not fear God in the least. Finally, the judge relents and grants the widow’s persistent requests in order to release his own ears from having to hear her pleading. Jesus ends this parable by reminding us that if a man who does not fear God will grant the persistent nature of our cries, how much more will our Heavenly Father who loves us and has purposed us for His glory.
God wants good for our hearts. In Luke 18:1, Jesus begins by telling his listeners that “they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” Jesus calls our hearts heavenly. He understands the battles we will face. Our aim is to cry out to Him. Lay your troubles down at the feet of the one who sits on the throne. Satan’s strategy is to get you to think otherwise and question God. In Genesis 3, Satan convinced Eve that God was keeping something from her while all the time God wanted what was best for her—Himself. Jesus wants us to know him, seek him, and enjoy Him to the fullest. He says that “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32). This parable in Luke 18 demonstrates God’s goodness. If a widow can convince an unjust judge to give her justice, just imagine how much more we can depend on a holy and just God to give us all things good and righteous.
God also wants to feel our faith and pursuit. Again, in verse one, He says to “always pray.” A true faith is demonstrated in our pursuit—both in who we pursue and how we pursue. Faith equals persistence. God truly feels our faith when we press into Him through prayer. We keep pressing because we keep believing in the one to whom we are praying. Faith is about getting our eyes off ourselves and onto Jesus. Persistent prayer cultivates a surrendered heart. It keeps our hearts tuned to the frequency of heaven, as 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 reminds us to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
God wants us to rest in His purposes. Jesus makes it clear at the end of the parable in verse 8 that those who seek God will find that “He will give justice to them speedily.” We can rest knowing that God is always working. Let us pray that way and rest in the faithful promises of God. As we do so, let’s not look at prayer exclusively as a flare gun but a campfire. A flare is what we send skyward in moments of distress. While those moments do arise, let’s live campfire lives of prayer. Let’s live within a rhythm of Godly pursuit as we sit around the constant light of God’s goodness and the warmth of his love.
Bee-Attitude
Blessed are those who pursue God in prayer, for they will find their peace and purpose.
Allen Smith
Allen is the young adult pastor at First Baptist Church of Barnesville. He is a graduate of Gordon College and Mercer University. He is married to Jill, and they have two wonderful daughters. Allen gets the opportunity each week to lead an amazing group of young adults. Their young adult worship gatherings take place on Thursday evenings at 7:30 at the FBC Student/Young Adult building.
