As I prayerfully considered the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8, I was encouraged to persevere in prayer and life no matter what comes against me.
In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus gives us a narrative about a widow seeking justice from a wicked judge. Each time she goes to the judge to avenge her from her adversary, the widow gets denied. Being denied by the judge never stopped the widow from persisting in her pursuit of justice.
The biblical narrative underscored that “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” Luke 18:4-5. It is fair to acknowledge that the biblical text did not specify how often the widow got denied, but it speaks volumes for the judge to resolve the widow’s issue.
Jesus gives us this parable to admonish us not to give up in prayer. Many of us are too quick to give up on prayer when it is not answered according to our schedule. Sometimes the enemy will come hard at us, but we must persist in prayer to receive our breakthrough. According to the scripture in 1 Samuel 30:6, David encouraged himself in the Lord. David felt isolated and in danger because his men were disappointed and distraught due to losing their sons and daughters after following David.
In the state of despair and pain, David purposed in his heart to find solace and strength in the Lord. We need to emulate David’s example and encourage ourselves in the Lord if we become weary or feel like giving up. Galatians chapter6 verse 9 stated “let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Also, be encouraged that every problem has an expiring date.
How often haven’t we given up on our prayers because God is not answering us quick enough? God does not work like a microwave. He works in times and seasons, and we must not faint in our prayers. As indicated in Ecclesiastes 3:11a, “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.” God does things in his time. If we persist in prayer, then our breakthrough and victory are granted by God. It is said that “persistence beats resistance.”
In summary, let us always not lose heart but always pray and commit everything into God’s hands. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, we are reminded to pray without ceasing and give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us. Pray until you see the manifestation of God’s will for your life.
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