LUKE 18:1-8 – And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
THEME OF THE DAY: FAITH DEFINED ACCORDING TO JESUS. How would you define faith? Trust? Belief? The Bible gives us a clear definition in the first verse of the eleventh chapter of the letter to the Hebrews – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). There is another way the Bible defines faith and that with an illustration from Jesus in today’s scripture – The Parable of the Persistent Widow.
The parable paints a vivid picture. There is a judge who has authority in a specific city. He is carnal, worldly, and has no regard for God or men, but he does have power over people. A certain widow came to him and asked for his intervention in a specific need in her life. He refused, but the widow would not be denied. She came asking, asking, and asking. The result was the judge grew tired of her persistent nagging and surrendered to her desire. Jesus would then give two lessons from the parable.
Lesson number one is the persistence of prayer. Like the widow who kept approaching the unjust judge, the believer is to cultivate a persistence of coming to God. However we are not coming to a unjust judge, but a loving Heavenly Father who delights in answering the prayers of His people. Child of God, prayer is the heartbeat of a Christian. It is to be as natural in our spiritual lives as breathing is in the physical realm. When we lose joy, zeal, and find ourselves in a bad place spiritually, the first place to look for as the cause is our prayer life. Neglecting prayer starts the believer down the path of backsliding.
Lesson number two is profound. It comes from Jesus’ last words – “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” Jesus equates a life of persistent prayer as evidence, even defining faith. And the application is clear – is our prayer life of such spiritual quality, even quantity, that Jesus would say, “There is a child of Mine exercising faith”? Take a moment and ponder the persistence of the widow. The same persistence should be in our lives, not to get something, but to get close to the Lord. After all, that is how Jesus defines faith!
PRAYER: “Father, help me to develop a prayer life that is spiritual and consistent.”
QUOTE: “Prayer is the heartbeat of a Christian. It is as natural as breathing.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim