Patti Burris

Luke 18:1-8

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ² He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

⁴ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

There have been times when I have felt frustrated at God’s “neglect” of answering a prayer that has been on my heart for some time. I feel that He does not hear me or simply does not care enough to answer. However, Neither one of those things is true. He wants us to be persistent in prayer.

He wants us to be like the persistent widow who went time and time again to the judge seeking justice against her adversary. I believe that she was desperate for justice, Desperate for an answer, and maybe even desperate for closure. But, the point is, she NEVER GAVE UP! She wore down that judge until he couldn’t take anymore and he gave her what she wanted. When I was 20, I applied at our local American Red Cross for a job to call people who had donated blood in the past to get them to donate again. The manager kept putting me off. I called every day or every other day for 3 or 4 weeks until he finally gave in. He finally gave me a job. He had told me that he thought I was too quiet for the job. I was there a year and there were a few months when I was the top recruiter. I needed a job and I wouldn’t give up. I wore him down. He knew that the only way he was going to get rid of me was to give me a job.

God wants us to be like that in our prayer time. The persistent widow was desperate for an answer. Are you desperate enough for justice that you bombard heaven day and night with your prayers? Are you desperate enough for an answer that you cry out to God with all of your heart? Are you desperate enough for closure that you leave God no other choice but to give you what you are praying for?  Don’t give up, even if it takes years for Him to answer. God’s timing is perfect. I don’t know why He takes as long as He does to answer some prayers. I don’t need to know. I just need to have the faith enough to keep praying and trust that He is at work in the situation. NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER QUIT PRAYING! The day you give up could be the day He planned on answering. God will answer and He will see that you get justice.

When Jesus returns, will He find you praying? Will He find faith in your prayer life? Will He find that you trust Him to answer no matter how long it takes? I hope I am that faithful. I don’t want to be the one who gives up right before the miracle. When Jesus returns, I want Him to find me faithful. Keep praying. Pray through, even if it takes 20 years before you get your miracle. Never Give Up! God will reward your persistence!