1. 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?”
This parable is so important for us to understand the meaning and the necessity for prayer in our lives. In the parable, the woman goes to the corrupt judge continuously so that she may seek justice for what happened to her. She does this because she believes and knows in her heart that this is the only way that she can appeal for what she is owed; no one else will help her or acknowledge her issue. So she is willing to risk going to this corrupt ruler because her faith leads her to this point out of pure desperation.
We have to have this kind of heart when we come to God, with this intention to find that God will answer our prayer, but with the obvious difference that we believe God is good and that He is just. Whatever we ask of Him He listens and desires for us to have all of our needs met. Those who come to God in prayer have to believe that He exists and He does good work for those who love Him. Those who pray do not do so because they believe nothing will happen; rather they do so because they understand how meaningful and important it really is for them.
The love of God is so great that He would never ignore us or leave us alone, so certainly when we pray, we can expect God to move in a great and powerful way. Additionally, with God we must be the ones who are persistent in our prayers. God is not like a corrupt or unjust judge in that He would not answer us, but certainly He also desires to see the heart that is willing to go before Him again and again with the faith that He can meet our needs. God is the one who created everything, so of course He is the only one to ask for anything that is worth having. When we go to God and ask for things, He is glad to hear from us and willing to listen to what we have to say.
John V.
