Persistent in Prayer
Have you ever prayed for something so long then given up on that prayer because you feel either God wasn’t listening or what you were praying for wasn’t within His will? In this world of instant gratification, we expect God to “get with the program” and answer our prayers immediately. We don’t like to wait, and for some reason, we have the idea that if our petition is God’s will, He won’t make us wait for it. We take the verse “Ask, and ye shall receive” and turn it into “Ask now, and ye shall receive now.” But if that were the case, why are there so many verses in the Bible telling us to wait on the Lord? If He immediately gives us what we want and what He desires for us to have every time we ask, there’s no waiting involved. Sadly, I think we often miss out on the things God wants for us because we lose heart and stop praying for those things.
“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: 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. 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? ”
I love this parable because it explores the benefits of being persistent in prayer. The first thing we must establish, however, is that God is not equating Himself to the unjust judge. Instead, He’s offering a contrast by saying if an unjust judge (who had no love for this woman) would give in because of this widow’s persistence, how much more would our loving Father give in to our pleas?
The story is simple. The tale of a worldly judge and a faithful widow. The widow has a need, so she takes it to the only one who can deal with the situation. But the judge, always having something better to do, pushes her away and denies her the justice she seeks. Instead of pouting, complaining, or acting out in anger, the widow continues to seek justice, showing up before the judge day after day. Finally, the judge becomes so sick of her, he determines to give her whatever she wants so she’ll go away and leave him alone.
Again, keep in mind this judge is not a picture of our holy and patient God. Our Lord does not answer our prayers in hopes we’ll go away and leave Him alone. On the contrary, He gives us blessings, hoping his kindness will draw us closer to Him. God is not trying to get rid of us, and as difficult as it is to believe, He doesn’t weary of our presence. (Honestly, sometimes I get weary of my presence, but I can’t seem to get away from myself!)
The focus of the parable is not on the judge but rather the widow. She persevered. She pressed on even when she was turned away. She persisted when it seemed the judge did not hear or care. She showed up day after day, determined to do her part and undeterred by the judge’s inaction. The Bible tells us she continued for a while, so that could have been a week, a month, or even a year. But it didn’t matter to her. She kept on until the judge met the need.
I am so humbled and convicted by this because I tend to be impatient in my prayer life. I don’t expect results this very minute, but if I’ve prayed faithfully for something for more than a month and it has yet to take place, I often shrug my shoulders and say, “Well, I prayed, and it never happened, so it must not be God’s will.” And I give up! I stop praying about it. Unlike the widow, I fail to press on when I feel turned away. I am deterred by the Judge’s seeming inaction. I do not persist when I believe the Judge doesn't see, hear or care. I pray, wait for what I think is an acceptable amount of time, then quit praying and go about my way, disappointed and even bitter I didn’t receive that for which I prayed.
I wonder how many blessings I’ve missed out on because I stopped praying. How many things has God prepared for me but withheld because I proved that it wasn’t worth praying about any longer? How would my life be different if I had been persistent in prayer?
Before I close, I want to acknowledge there are times God answers with a firm, “No.” He answered in the negative to Balaam when the prophet asked about going with the princes of Moab. When Paul pleaded for his thorn to be taken away, God refused, assuring the apostle that His grace was sufficient. When God clearly says, “no,” it is wrong for us to continue asking. We have the answer, and we need to accept it. However, when there has been no clear answer either in the positive or negative, we must not translate the absence of an answer to mean “no.” It may be “wait,” or God could be in the act of bringing our request to fruition. The results are up to Him, but the prayer is up to us.
Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. And don’t stop until you have the answer you seek.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: ”
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