“Perseverance in Prayer”

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8

Have any of us ever had problems with getting authorities to listen to our complaints? It could be with our supervisors and managers at work, it could be over a problem with a damaged purchase from a business owner, it could even be a personal issue that a local politician or even a state or federal representative could resolve, but none of them would even consider helping us? At best, it’s a frustrating experience for us, and at worse, it can be demoralizing and a source of anger.

What can we do about it? After all, aren’t we all at the mercy of the established culture? It’s enough to make you wonder where the justice is! The truth is that the normal response may, all too often, be to simply accept the status quo, and give up. That’s the easy way out though, and the only thing we’ll gain from the whole mess is a sense of cynicism and discouragement.

But what if we keep searching for what is right, for what is true? Are we willing to work until we find it, regardless of how long it may take? In Hebrews 12:1-3, we are told to “throw off everything that hinders …" and to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us”. To put it even simpler, “Never give up in the search for justice!” After all, that’s the example that Jesus laid down for us.

Today's parable is "The Persistent Widow".

Read Luke 18:1-3

The high and mighty, versus the lowly and meek. The judge, it seems, is used to getting his own way and serving his own desires. But in Jesus’ teaching, the judge was even worse than that! He held no respect or allegiance to the Lord God Jehovah. There was no love, no worship, no obedience to the Lord and his ways. And as for his compassion for the people? It didn’t exist. There’s an old saying, that “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” That is where this magistrate was.

But on the opposite side of the coin is the widow. We read very little about her, except that her husband had died and she is now alone with no one to advocate on her behalf. But we can also surmise from her character traits that she had exceptional courage and perseverance. Women of that day were expected to be quiet and submissive. They were considered to be little better than property of their husbands, and if they had no family when he died, they were on their own – destitute and generally helpless.

This is who the two people in the parable are – completely opposite in nature, and not even close to being culturally equal. And yet, the judge was the woman’s only hope for relief. So she came to him, seeking “justice”, but apparently, every time she asked, the answer was no. Her “adversary” may have been a friend of the judge, or he may simply have thought that the woman and her complaint just weren’t worthy of his time.

Either way, Proverbs 28:14-16 would tell us that this is not the way of a righteous man. We read that “A tyrannical ruler practices extortion” while “Blessed is the one who always trembles before God.” The Lord is telling us that those who follow the ways of earth are bound to fail, and that the tyranny that they practice will, one day, bring them nothing but defeat.

Read Luke 18:4-5

The judge has no faith or compassion, and his only concern is for his own well-being. In Exodus 23:6-7, we are told “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits … for I will not acquit the guilty.” The judge finally gives in to the widow’s needs. Isn’t it interesting that the one who has the upper hand and all the power is the very one who throws up his hands! The woman gains justice simply by her stick-to-itiveness. James 1:2-8 tells us that “the testing of your faith produces perseverance”. This isn’t the kind of test where you can either succeed or fail – it’s a test that teaches you a valuable lesson – it’s a test that leads to victory.

For the widow, what did she have to lose? She had lost her husband, she apparently had no children to see her through this trying time, she had no resources to support her in life, and now she had come up against this uncaring judge, who should have been the very one to be her champion in this time of trial. The only things she had going for her was her trust in God and the will power to never give up striving for what is right.

She never accused, she never threatened, she never took her claim to a different judge who might be more willing to help her – she knew that she was right and that she needed a favorable resolution. And for her, at least in this moment, that was enough.

Our passage from James 1 goes on to say “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” The testing through perseverance lead the woman to receive a decision from the unjust judge who was unable to stand up against her persistence any longer. When it’s right, it’s right, and the Lord would have us know that he is the source of all righteous truth and power. When Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life”, this is what he was promising – that when we come under attack, we aren’t to give up, we aren’t to surrender to the lies and deceit of earth. If we give up too soon, if we quit in our striving for righteous victory, we are going to miss out on the blessings that God has prepared for us.

Read Luke 18:6-8

And Jesus turns the lesson of perseverance into a lesson about prayer. In Session 4 of the Bible study I put together on prayer (“Prayer as an Act of Discipleship”), I offered a discussion of the difference between God’s “Permissive” will, and God’s “Perfect” will (source: Rev. Dr. Bill Craver’s book “Finding Your Fit in Ministry”). Examples might be praying to God on a fairly regular basis – his “Permissive will” - while consistent and persistent prayer as described in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”) would be God’s (“Perfect will”).

Jesus says that his chosen – or in other words, his faithful – will never give up in their conversation with him, which is exactly what prayer is all about. A prayerful heart, a prayerful life, a life that trusts in all that Jesus taught, a life that puts all needs, all dependencies, all hope in Jesus Christ as Savior – that this attitude in faith will bring God’s justice to bear in all matters. Now, in our passage, Jesus says that it will come “quickly”, but this doesn’t actually mean immediate or even speedy! It means that it will come at the perfect time and in the perfect way, in satisfaction of both his will and our need.

The Lord also calls attention to the comment made by the judge, that he is only responding to the widow’s request because he is getting tired of her constant request for help, that which the judge describes as “bother”. He doesn’t make this judgment on behalf of the woman – he only makes it for his own benefit. Right or wrong had nothing to do with his decision – it was only because of his personal discomfort with the entire situation.

So the question for each of us today is this – why do we go to the Lord in prayer? Is it generally when we are going through a particularly difficult time, when a loved one is ill, when we are afraid or lost, when we are unable to complete an accomplishment or obtain a particular desire?

Or are we prayer warriors who follow the words of 2 Thessalonians 5 through rejoicing in prayer, being constantly in prayer, giving thanks for all that God brings and not just for the things that we desire, having a prayerful heart as well as a prayerful mind. And above all, are we consistent and persistent in prayer, trusting that the Lord will always provide us with what we need, and not necessarily with what we see as a necessity?

The widow in Jesus’ parable sought and trusted in God’s provision, and never gave up until it came. Are we that trusting in Christ’s word for our lives?