And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Always Pray & Do Not Lose Heart

When every moment becomes an opportunity for praise or surrender,

and each moment of frustration becomes a moment to say “Help me, Lord”.

When every good and precious gift becomes a “Thank you, Father”,

and the witness of beauty turns to His praises on our lips.

When we seek Him first, above all things,

and prayers are lifted from expectant hearts.

When the desires of our heart are whispered in the dark, trusting that God can and hoping that He will—

This is faith.

…

In the parable of the persistent widow, Jesus begins by telling his disciples to not lose heart. To look to God, and remember Him. To allow His faithfulness to carry us through the waiting, and to keep on presenting our requests to Him as we do. Through this story, we are taught to cling to the cloak of he who walks beside us along the narrow road, the one who knows the trials we will face in this life. Following the example of the persistent widow, we are encouraged to keep on knocking on the gates of heaven with faith that God will hear us when we cry out to Him, and to not grow weary as we await His response.

When we remember upon whose door we’re knocking, faith becomes a natural response, and our prayer lives are transformed because we come not just for gifts and miracles, but for the presence of Jesus.

Yet, if we were honest about our relationship with prayer, many would confess losing heart seems more consistent than emboldened faith. As we seek God, we grow discouraged quickly because we forget who we’re talking to.

We mutter one word in disbelief, then shut our hearts away – afraid to get our hopes up, even in the presence of the One who promises living and eternal hope. Or we’ve stopped seeking Him altogether because we wonder if He even cares. If we were honest, we would say we’re afraid of the despair that may come from disappointment and grief if a prayer isn’t answered, so we’d rather not try at all. Jesus isn’t naive to the weariness in our hearts, or our shaky faith.

Jesus knows the struggles we face in persistent prayer; this is why he begins with the words always pray and do not lose heart in the story of the persistent widow. From this parable, there is much to learn.

Do remember this woman wasn’t just anyone. She was a widow. We don’t know how fresh that heartbreak is when we meet her in this story, but if you’ve lost someone dear to you, you intimately know the weight of grief. We meet her assuredly in one of the hardest trials of her life, which makes her endurance for justice all the more challenging for us. People would’ve understood her falling into despair, but that’s not what we see. We don’t see her throw in the towel. We see her fight harder.

We see deep seated,

desperate,

dependent,

wholehearted,

resilient faith.

Through this widow’s heartache, her cries for justice only got louder.

And after great knocking, her requests were granted, but in the midst of her suffering, perseverance and resilience was born in her.

What if we reframed our understanding of the waiting not as God’s reluctance, but as a place of delay so that He can prepare us?

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The Righteous Judge, Our Faithful Father

Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?

An unrighteous judge, careless toward men and disregarding of God, brings about the desired justice of the persistent widow. If even he can grant the hopeful outcome of justice against her adversary, how much more will God, who is moved by honest faith and compassion, respond to the earnest prayers of His sons and daughters? Not always are our prayers answered in the ways we would hope, but we can be certain that they are heard by Our Father in Heaven as we cry out day and night.

Prayers like this begin with promise.

They who pray unceasingly know the God to whom they call out.

The persistent widow, brutal in her pursuits of her heart’s hope and desire, was granted the justice she asked for. She was relentless in her asking, seeking, and knocking. How much more does God desire to show you who He is as Righteous Judge, and Faithful Father?

Speedily he comes, says verse eight.

I know many hearts that are aching with grief or sorrow. I know of many minds pondering the questions, “does God even care?” and “if He is good, then why could this be happening?” None of us are immune to the brokenness of this world. We don’t even need to go beyond our own hearts to see it. As we linger in these questions and don’t get the answers we’re looking for, we grow discouraged. Our hearts can become calloused toward God, but there is another way – one strengthened by a gaze transfixed on the beauty of the Lord, trusting Him to be our help in times of trouble.

Let God’s Character Inform Your Prayers

God is like the unjust judge, but in so many ways unlike him too. Where this judge was careless toward men, God cares deeply.

Where this judge was reluctant to grant this woman’s request, God comes speedily. He loves to answer prayers, and is for us, not against us. Where some of our prayers may be postponed, they are surely not forgotten by the Lord.

God is a righteous judge of good moral character – He is trustworthy and just – and He is a faithful father who cares for His children.

As we boldly approach the throne of grace, this is the king whose courts we are in.

Related to prayer and our seeking of God, I begin to wonder:

What are the prayers of your heart? Where has it been broken, and tempted toward hopelessness? Where are you awaiting breakthrough?

What are the unmet expectations or yet-to-come-to-pass dreams that have led to disappointment in your life? Where are you waiting to see God move?

This widow knew who she was talking to. She knew this judge had the power to bring her justice; she had full faith in who he was, and the power he had to grant her request. His position informed her actions. But even he doesn’t have access to the power and authority of Christ. Not even a judge of the highest standing in this world can compare to him. There is none other like him. When we pray, we seek the presence of the one whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways.

As we pray, let not our circumstances shape our prayers, but God’s character. Let not our prayers begin with problems, but God’s promise.

If we are to ask how to respond to this parable, let’s first begin here: seek the Lord’s presence and ask Him to reveal His heart to you. Let Him show you that in His presence, your hope and faith is safe to rest.

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Faith Stirs the Heart of Christ

At the end of this parable, there is an awe catching question to close: when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? (Luke 18:8).

Time and time again in the Scriptures, we see great faith move Jesus to heal and restore. In this story, the message is no different.

If Christ returned today, would he find faith in you?

Would he find you believing for things only God could do here on earth? Would he find you calling out to him day and night – even in your deepest sorrows, even in your darkest night, even in the Valley of the Shadow of Death? What about on your best days?

Will Christ find wholehearted, pure and wondrous love for Him in you?

As we pray and seek the heart of the Father, we become intimately acquainted with the one to whom we present our requests. We catch His heart for us, and it changes everything. Our faith is transformed as we behold Jesus, and it begins with love.

When we persevere through disappointment, grief, doubt, and frustration that comes, bowing before the Father with desperation for the only One who can provide what our hearts and souls ache for, on the other side we see a faith richer and deeper than before.

This is what he hopes to find in you and me when he comes again.

Bold, persistent, fighting-tooth-and-nail-to-believe-in-the-goodess-of-God faith. Faith like Mary, the bleeding woman, the centurion, and the persistent widow.

How do we get there?

Ask yourself earnestly where you lose heart in prayer, and ask for Jesus’ help.

Then, knock on the door with expectation.

Get your hopes up.

Believe that God will come through because He cares for you. He desires to reveal Himself to His children.

When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

I sure hope so. I hope He sees every tribe, every nation, and every tongue gathering together in worship and praise of Him. But for now, my hope is that great faith starts with you, and that it starts with me.

Our God is anything but ordinary. He is awesome and wonderful and holy and pure. He cares deeply for His children, and our faith inclines His ear toward our cries. Prayers whispered and wept in the deepest of night move the heart of the Father, and when surrendered to His will, who knows what God will do with prayers spoken through mustard seed faith.

If we want to have faith like the persistent widow, we must regularly return to the well of living water, and feast and drink in the presence of the Almighty. We must behold Jesus, remembering the cross he bore for us and the throne upon which he now sits. As we know him deeper, and as we endure trials with him as our strength, our faith will grow.

May we approach Jesus’ throne with boldness and confidence, with fear and trembling, and with honor and reverence for all that He is.

In him and through him, we will have all that we need to ask, seek, and knock with persistence. He gives us the strength to wait with patient endurance. In our weakness, His power is made perfect.

When we remember who God is, persistence in faith-filled prayer will become a natural response.

May the Lord restore your faith and hope again. May your prayers begin with the promises of God. May you not grow weary, but may you cling to Christ as you cry out to Him day and night.

May the unanswered prayers, unmet expectations, and unfulfilled desires draw you closer to the Lord as you wait, and may your persistence move the heart of God to heal, restore, reconcile, deliver you and those you love.

May His grace go before you and may His love cover you. May you take his yoke upon you and learn from him. May you come to know Him as your Shepherd and the God of your Miracle.

May you see the God of the Impossible move in your life and in your heart.

When the Son of Man comes, may he find great faith in you.