Be Persistent in Prayer

INTRO

We’re painting a picture of Jesus, who was known as the Son of Man in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus was willing to engage with people. He was not a distant God; He was not a God who didn’t interact with people. He was God in human flesh. He invited everybody to the table. He took away the main issue we had, which was the fall of man. He redeemed us. Yet sometimes when we think about God, we don’t think He’s approachable. God wants to connect with us. He wants to have a relationship with us.

TEACHING

Luke 18:1: Jesus told a parable that emphasized the need to pray, always, without becoming discouraged. It’s important to pray always so we don’t become discouraged, depressed, and overwhelmed by the woes of life. Scripture says to give thanks in all things. When we keep on praying, we can fight the enemy.

Luke 18:2–3: The judge in this parable didn’t fear God or respect man, which meant he was not a believer. The widow in this town kept coming to him, asking for justice against her adversary. Luke mentions widows more than all the other Gospels combined. Psalm 68:5 says, “God in His holy dwelling is a father of the fatherless and a champion of widows.” God looks out for those who don’t have support, who have lost a best friend. James 1:27 reminds us that God expects us to do the same, “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” These are people who need help. In Luke 7:11–17, Jesus raised a dead man because, “he was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow” (v. 12). In Luke 20:47, Jesus warned the disciples to beware of the scribes because, “they devour widows’ houses and say long prayers just for show.” Their religious leaders sought the widows and devoured them because they wanted something from them. Instead, God commands His people to take care of widows. The widow in this parable appeared before the judge asking him to please give her justice. Wiersbe said she had at least three things working against her: (1) she was a woman and therefore unimportant in the culture of the day; (2) she was a widow who had no one to speak up for her; and (3) she was probably poor so she couldn’t afford to pay a bribe to get the judge to rule in her favor.¹

Luke 18:4–5: The judge was initially unwilling to help her. He didn’t care about what God would think, and he didn’t care what she needed. But eventually the judge decided to give her justice so she wouldn’t wear him out with her persistent requests. Nelson’s Commentary said, “If an insensitive judge will respond to the continual requests of a widow, God will certainly respond to the continual prayers of believers.”²Wiersbe contrasted the widow’s situation with the position of believers. The widow was a stranger to the judge who didn’t care about her. She didn’t have an advocate to give her access to the judge. In contrast, as children of God, we have open access to God. We also have an advocate, Jesus, who sits at God’s right hand and pleads for us.³

Luke 18:6–8a: : Jesus then said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. Will not God grant justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night?” Jesus emphasized that God would swiftly grant justice to His people. As citizens of the kingdom of God, we can use prayer to tap into the power of God, so we are ready when the Son of Man comes. How do we do this? Let’s look at some obvious verses:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18: “Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything.”
• 1 Peter 3:7: “Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives with an understanding of their weaker nature yet showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” Husbands have to treat their wives well, as coheirs. Maybe we don’t see a move of God in the local churches because of bad marriages. Can you imagine treating your wife poorly and then coming to church, to God, as if nothing happened?
• Matthew 7:7–12: “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you” (v. 7). When we keep on asking, God will answer. As children of God, we have

open access to God, an advocate before Him, and the knowledge that He wants to give us good things. Can you pray for something over and over and over? Yes, as long as it’s not gibberish or babbling. Matthew 6:7–8 says we can’t “babble like idolaters” or pray just to be heard.

The value of prayer has been emphasized by many Christians.

E. M. Bounds said: “We are ever ready to excuse our lack of earnest and toilsome praying, by a fancied and delusive view of submission. We often end praying just when we ought to begin. We quit praying when God waits and is waiting for us to really pray. We are deterred by obstacles from praying, or we succumb to difficulties, and call it submission to God’s will.”⁴“Our praying, however, needs to be pressed and pursued with an energy that never tires, a persistency which will not be denied, and a courage which never fails.”⁵Do you want to be known as a person of prayer?

Charles Spurgeon said: “If you are sure it is a right thing for which you are asking, plead now! Plead at noon! Plead at night! Plead on - with cries and tears spread out your case!”⁶

George Mueller said: “It is not enough to begin to pray, nor to pray aright, nor is it enough to continue for a time to pray; but we must patiently, believingly, continue in prayer until we obtain an answer.”⁷That answer may not be what we are praying for, but we know that God wants to show up in our lives.

Luke 18:8b: As Jesus concluded the parable, He asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on earth?” How do we, as people of prayer, get to the point where Jesus will find that kind of faith in our lives? When we pray, do we show that kind of faith? Having that kind of faith means functioning in the power of prayer.

Matthew 17:19–20 explains that when we become citizens of the kingdom of God, we have faith the size of a mustard seed. If we want to develop the faith that Jesus is looking for, then we start with faith as small as a mustard seed. Luke 17:5 encourages us to pray for the Lord to increase our faith. Luke 18:8 confirms that Jesus is looking for children of God who don’t stop coming before Him in prayer. They have radical faith that if they keep praying, God will show up. Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” We can’t grow in the Lord if we’re not growing in the Word of God. We can increase our faith simply by being in the Word of God every day. James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourself.”

As we hear the word of God, we want to increase our faith and be doers of the word of God. As citizens of the kingdom of God, we have to act on our faith. But as we become doers of the word, we cannot forget to test the word. Malachi 3:10 says, “test Me in this way.” See, by faith, God will show up. Hebrews 11:6 emphasizes that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:1 says: “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” When we walk by faith, we actually have proof of God showing up. Hebrews 4:15–16 assures us that because the Son of Man existed here on earth, we can “approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.” Jesus, the Son of Man, sympathizes with our weaknesses and invites us to come to Him, knowing He will give us mercy and grace.

CLOSING

Luke 18:1 tells us to pray so we won’t become discouraged. To fight discouragement in everyday life, we have to keep on praying, knowing that God wants to bless us and give us the desires of our hearts. Psalm 116:2 says, “Because He has turned His ear to me, I will call out to him as long as I live.” As long as we have breath, we should keep walking and praying by faith. We should be like the persistent widow who literally cried out in faith.