The Parable of the Persistent Widow
November 28, 2021
Commentary
“That men ought always to pray, and not to faint” means to be persistent (v. 1). To be persistent in prayer does not mean endless repetition in painfully long prayer sessions. Always praying means keeping our requests constantly before the Lord day by day, believing He will answer. God may delay in answering our prayer, but His delays always have good reasons. As we persist in prayer we grow in character, faith and hope. If we know He loves us, we can believe He will hear our cries for help.
This passage is often referred to as the parable of the unjust judge (v. 2). This judge was unprincipled, lawless and not prone to do what was right. The poor widow, on the other hand, was helpless, friendless and with no hope (v. 3). Women in that day had very little recognition by the law. Yet because of her great persistence, the wicked judge became so bothered that he finally granted her request (vv. 4-5). The idea portrayed here is that if this poor widow with no hope received help from a wicked judge, how much sooner and greater will be the help of a loving heavenly Father for His own dear children (vv. 6-8). If we know He loves us, we can believe he will hear our cries for help. She pled out of her poverty, but we have all of God’s riches available to us to meet our every need (Philippines 4:19).
Application
Am I satisfied with my prayer life? Do I see things changed because of my prayers? God is ready to answer when I call on Him. I just need to be consistent and persistent.
Luke 18:1– 8 (NET)
1 Then Jesus told them a parable to show them they should always pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people. 3 There was also a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but later on he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor have regard for people, 5 yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in the end she will wear me out by her unending pleas.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says! 7 Won’t God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay long to help them? 8 I tell you, he will give them justice speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Illustration: Running the Race in an Olympics Marathon
Runner’s World (8/91), told the story of Beth Anne DeCiantis’s attempt to qualify for the 1992 Olympic Trials Marathon. A female runner must complete the 27-mile, 385-yard race in less than two hours, forty-five minutes to compete at the Olympic Trials. Beth started strong but began having trouble around mile 23. She reached the final straightaway at 243, with just two minutes left to qualify. Two hundred yards from the finish, she stumbled and fell. Dazed, she stayed down for twenty seconds. The clock was ticking-2:44, less than a minute to go. Beth Anne staggered to her feet and began walking. Five yards short of the finish, with ten seconds to go, she fell again. She began to crawl, the crowd cheering her on, and crossed the finish line on her hands and knees. Her time? Two hours, 44 minutes, 57 seconds. Hebrews 12:1 reminds us to run our race with perseverance and never give up. (Terry Fisher, quoted in Preaching Resources, Spring 1996, p. 69).