Don't Stop Believing

“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.”

Luke 18:1


In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus shares with His disciples the parable of “The Persistent Widow” which should be very encouraging to those of us who love the Lord. It’s important to understand what a parable is. I appreciate how C.H. Dodd defined a parable, “At its simplest the parable is a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought.” Jesus used parables to teach openly His disciples and to be able to do so in a way that the enemies of God wouldn’t understand what Jesus was saying.

As you read Luke 18:2-7 imagine its a little after the 3 o’clock prayer time and Jesus begins to speak, 2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’ ” 6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?”  

What would you think the message Jesus was seeking to teach His disciples? First and foremost Jesus wanted to encourage His disciples to pray and never give up. Many read this parable and get this picture that God is somehow obtuse with far more important issues to address than the ones you and I are dealing with. That could not be further from the truth. When Jesus compares our Heavenly Father to this unjust judge its to show us their contrasts not their similarities. If a judge who neither fears God or cares about people will heed the cries of a widow and answer her request how much more would a loving Father do all within His power to meet the needs of His children. That’s the message Jesus is conveying!

Are you in need today? Do you feel all alone? Is your current status in life making you question your worth and if people care? The widow fell into each of these categories and is why Jesus uses her as an example. God loves and cares for widows and He loves and cares for you today too. The word of God reminds us that God is a husband to the husbandless and a father to the fatherless. As God’s children we can rest assured that if we bring our requests to Him that He will hear us and that the promises of God are yes and amen to all who believe! Read the parable and take the message to heart today. Come boldly before the throne of grace in your time of need. Come as often as you like and as long as the needs persists. Ask and keep asking Jesus says, seek and keep seeking Jesus exhorts us, knock and keep knocking Jesus encourages us as believing in faith that one day, maybe sooner than you think the door will be open to you and your greatest need and deepest desires will be satisfied as you meet Jesus face to face!

“I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

Luke 18:8


I LOVE YOU!