Perseverance through Prayer

Series on Luke

IV The Imperatives of the Kingdom

B Increasing Opposition

22 Sovereign Judge

Text: 18:1-8

Introduction

Obviously our text today is about prayer but it is not prayer itself, nor indeed even perseverance in prayer, which is the primary subject, but rather perseverance through prayer is that which occupies the mind of our Savior. The key to the meaning of this parable is found in the final question which Jesus asks found in verse 8, However, when the son of man comes will he find faith on the earth? He has just informed them that the kingdom is present now invisibly, but the visible demonstration of God’s rule will not come for a long time. Therefore they must persevere. How will they persevere? Wasn’t there an old Broadway play called, “How to succeed in business without really trying?” The humor is in the absurdity of the proposition. It is even more ridiculous to think that the disciples of Jesus can persevere over this long and difficult period without the commitment which is revealed in constant prayer. There is a hymn which says prayer is the Christian’s vital breath. If that is true, then I am afraid many of us are suffocating. So let us look carefully at the text and learn the enemy of true faith, the expression of true faith and the emergence of true faith.

I The Enemy of True Faith

in the parable of the unjust judge in verses 1-3 the woman has an adversary, Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ If we would understand Jesus’ emphasis here we need to see that we have an adversary. The apostle Peter tells us in I Peter 5:8 and 9, Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. The woman cries out persistently because she has an enemy. The presupposition of prayer is conflict. This is brought out so clearly by Paul in Ephesians 6. where he tells us to put on the whole armor of God in order to stand against the wiles of the devil, because our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers and authorities, against the powers of this dark world and he ends his warning with these words in verses 18, And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Notice Paul sets forth the same concept be alert, watch, pray. The warning is to take no chances, and be diligent to make your calling and election sure. If we’re not aware of the struggle we’re in, God has to send us trouble just to remind us to pray.

II The Expression of True Faith

The woman kept bothering the judge and he finally gave in, as we read in verses 4-8 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 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? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. God is never bothered by our prayers. He is pleased. He calls us his chosen ones. He delights in us. Those who are his beloved cry out to him day and night. There is a sharp contrast here. The text does not teach that God gives in to the persistence of our prayers, far from it. God brings about justice for his chosen ones because they are his chosen ones, because He loves us, because He sent His Son into the world to die for our sins, and because He redeemed us at great cost. This is the mystery of divine love. This is grace and mercy. The cause of deliverance is found not in us or in our calling but in God Himself who has chosen us. But Jesus highlights a characteristic of those whom God loves, they never stop calling out. They never cease praying. It is an expression of their genuine faith. it is reflected in the words of the hymn,”O may my hand forget her skill, my tongue be silent,cold and still, this bounding heart forget to beat if I forget the mercy seat.” In other words our prayer life is a barometer of our spiritual condition and an evidence of our being Christians. It is an indispensable instrument God uses to bless us but it is not the final cause of the blessing. In this God is totally different from the unjust judge.

III The Emergence of True Faith

What is the victory that overcomes the world asks the apostle John, and the answer is, our faith. The reason that the praying saints triumph is that they have believed what God said and acted on it. These persevere. the question with which Jesus closes the parable is in verse 8, However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” This does not express doubt on Jesus’ part but rather it is a rhetorical question intended to wake us up to the need to persevere. You can’t persevere if faith is lacking and if faith is lacking you will not pray. A praying faith finds the victory and a prayer-less faith is not faith at all. Our text does not say that God will act immediately. It does not suggest that there is no delay. The very facts that his people are crying out day and night and the persistence of the widow imply that there is some delay. In the parable the clause translated “will he keep putting them off” in verse 7 is literally. in the Greek, “and he is long-suffering towards them.” This is the same word used in II Peter 3:8-10 where we are told that the delay in bringing judgment is related to God’s long-suffering. Faith realizes that God’s timetable is perfect. Whether the enemy is judged now or later from God’s perspective it is always as fast as possible. True faith recognizes this and that is why true faith emerges triumphant because it perseveres through prayer. It doesn’t give up just because it doesn’t get an immediate answer.

Conclusion

I hope you’re not one of those people who thinks we can win the battle against sin and death without prayer. There are some simple truths in the Christian life, so simple in fact that we tend to forget them. Here is a Bible, it is your food. Neglect it and you starve. And here is prayer, ignore it and you’ll faint from lack of oxygen. You cannot persevere without it.