Persevering In Prayer

Persevering in Prayer

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 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!’” Luke 18:1-5

Maybe you can relate to a young woman who told me at a retreat that she wished answers to prayer came as easily as a can of pop could rush down a vending-machine chute into her hand. She could pray earnestly about an issue for a few days. But when God didn’t answer her prayers according to her timetable, she found herself frustrated and inclined to quit.

Jesus knew that we humans would struggle with this aspect of prayer, so he told this story, recorded in the book of Luke: A widow came repeatedly to a godless judge who was evil and uncaring, and the judge ignored her. But she kept showing up and asking, day after day. This was a determined woman, and she wouldn’t give up! Finally, because of her persistence, the judge granted the widow a favorable decision. Here’s the lesson: If a corrupt judge will render a just decision to a woman he cares nothing about, how much more will God, who is rich in love and compassion toward his people, answer when we “cry out to him day and night”? (18:7).

Jesus encourages us to be like that persistent widow, and that means we’ve got to develop a marathon mentality of prayer rather than a sprint mentality. We’re in this for the long haul and must P-U-S-H: Pray Until Something Happens! No matter what obstacles we face or how big the mountains are, God’s arm is not too short to save, and he calls us to persevering prayer. —CHERI

Lord, I confess that perseverance in prayer is not my strong suit. Grant me the persistence of this widow, who never gave up. Help me to keep on praying and to gather others who will help me to stand in prayer until the answer comes.

Every single believing prayer has its influence. It is stored up toward an answer which comes in due time to whomever perseveres to the end.

—ANDREW MURRAY (1828–1917), SOUTH AFRICA WRITER AND PASTOR