What does it mean to be persistent? The word means continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. In thinking about this definition, I’m convinced that most people are not persistent about anything, much less prayer. We live in a society where most are not willing to push through the hard stuff. If it gets uncomfortable, it’s time to move on to something else. However, I find children to be very persistent when they want something. God must have put that character trait within us, but as we get older, we get lazy and complacent. If it requires a lot of effort or pain, we quit. If we are to be persistent, we must value the desired thing above our comfort, then we will continue to seek it. If we understand how persistent prayer moves the heart of God, we will push forward until God answers. Unfortunately, to the majority of people, comfort is supreme.
When I think of persistence in prayer, I’m reminded of the woman in Luke 18:1-8. In this passage, Jesus is teaching His disciples a lesson on prayer. Luke tells us in verse 1 that the object of the lesson is to always be praying. In verse 2 Jesus talks about a judge that did not fear God. He also had no respect for any man. This would make him very arrogant and unjust. Yet, a judge appointed by the people should value the lives of the people. Indirectly, Jesus is teaching us what the character of a judge should be. He should fear God and He should regard the rights and lives of others. This parable gives us an account of two people who are complete opposites. We have the widow who is poor and defenseless coming up against the most powerful person in the region. He had the power to make decisions about the lives of others and what he said ruled.
Luke 18:1-2 “And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:”
The widow was asking the judge to avenge her of her adversary. She was asking for justice, but it seems this judge had no desire to be a just judge. To him, she was bothersome. He did not care that she had great needs, or that it was his duty to help her. Yet, she continues to plead with him. He finally helps her because he is tired of her begging. It must have gone on for some time because in verse 5 he says she “troubled” him, and she was continually coming to him so much so that it wearied him. In verse 4 he makes it known that he did not grant her request because he feared God, for he did not, nor did he fear any man. It was because she was persistent!
Luke 18:3-5 “And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward, he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.”
This widow came before a judge that was not usually sympathetic to anyone. The huge difference between us and this woman is that we are bringing our request to the Righteous Judge, God. We are bringing our request to a Judge that also loves us. In verses 7-8, we see that God, the just judge, will avenge His own. He is not uncaring as this judge was, nor is He wearied or troubled by our coming to Him. He wants us to make our requests to Him. In Philippians 4:6 the Bible teaches us to “Be careful (or anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” He not only wants to answer our prayers, but in Ephesians 3:20, He also wants to answer them “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”
Luke 18:6 “And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
We need to be like the widow by being persistent with our prayers. Some may say why should I pray when God already knows what I am going to pray for? We need to understand that just as we want to hear from those we love, God wants to hear from us. He wants us to depend on Him, to know that He is able to do far more than we could ever expect and to know the depths of His love for us. When we are desperate and persistent, He feels our pain, and when He answers He gets the glory. In the parable, only the judge could help this poor widow, and we need to understand our only help comes from the Righteous Judge. Do not faint or grow weary, don’t give up! Be persistent and pull up closer, lean on Him, and crawl up under His wings. He will hear and He will answer. In Him, we shall trust, and He will be our shield and our buckler.
Psalms 91:4 “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”
