He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. Luke 18:1 ESV1
Read Luke 18:1-8
This past weekend I got together with my daughter and her children. We stopped to get ice cream at a local restaurant. As we were enjoying the tasty treat, my two-year-old grandson noticed my phone peeking out of the front pocket of my purse. He turned to his mom and asked, “Trac’ors ‘Mammaw’s phone, p’ease?” My daughter replied, “Finish your ice cream first.” As we chatted, my grandson nibbled at his ice cream but his eyes were focused on me. As soon as I finished my ice cream, he asked again, “Trac’ors ‘Mammaw’s phone, p’ease?” His mom repeated, with emphasis, “Finish your ice cream first.” He shoved two more big bites of ice cream in his mouth, pushed the dish aside, and asked again, “Trac’ors ‘Mammaw’s phone, p’ease?” This time my daughter said, “Yes, now, you may watch a tractor video on Grandma’s phone.” A moment later, as I searched the internet and found a short, child-appropriate video about tractors, my grandson settled into my lap and stared with glee at what was happening on the screen of my phone.
When Jesus walked the Earth, there were no tractors, Grandmothers didn’t have smartphones, the internet didn’t exist, and I don’t think they even had anything like ice cream. But, Jesus, being the Good Teacher, was able to use as He taught illustrations from what they did have. In the following parable, Jesus told a story to help His audience learn an important lesson about a significant aspect of asking His Father for what they would like to have.
“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’” (Luke 18:1-8)?
Persistence and Waiting Patiently
When Jesus told His followers “a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1), He wasn’t teaching that we should beg, barter, or attempt to manipulate God into doing what we want. Instead, Jesus’ teaching was about not giving up on prayer entirely when God isn’t responding how or as fast as we would like. Jesus was encouraging His followers to not to abandon the practice of prayer altogether when the answer doesn’t come right away.
We “ought to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1) is not all that different than what the Apostle Paul taught when he instructed, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Not ceasing from prayer equally means to be in prayer continually as well as don’t quit praying.
Persistence in prayer has many benefits. Continuing to make a certain appeal is advantageous in refining our requests. It helps us discover specifically what we want and how much we need it actually. It answers the question: Do I really want what I ask? Just as fasting is not about forcing God to do our will, but it is about removing distractions, focusing on the spiritual instead of the physical, and having faith that God will meet our physical needs as much as He will our answer prayers, perseverance in prayer strengthens us and our faith in God.
Persistence Examples
The idea that persistence in prayer is equal to begging God to act on our behalf is flawed. Such a thought is akin to the belief that one can work to gain his/her own salvation.
“For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:9-10).
Answered prayer is a display of God’s grace. Prayer is all about faith, not works. If answered prayer were about the amount of exertion we put in, Christian prayer would be no different from that of the pagan prophets mentioned in 1 Kings 18:20-40. That passage tells of a challenge between Elijah and 450 prophets of the false god, Baal.
All day long, the prophets of Baal cried out loudly to their god, limping around the altar, and cutting themselves in a show of their earnestness for their prayers to be answered but it was to no avail. Conversely, Elijah prayed, in faith, against all odds, asking the LORD for a specific action for the purpose of glorifying God and bringing others into a right relationship with Him, and that prayer was answered in a miraculous and powerful way.
It is Elijah, not the self-harming and incessant prophets of Baal, that is held up as an example for us in prayer.
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months, it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit” (James 5:16b-18).
Elijah wasn’t a superhero; he was human like us but he believed that the LORD could and would answer specific, God-honoring, prayers of faith. Though James said that Elijah prayed fervently, it may appear with a quick reading of the text that Elijah calmly asked only once for God to perform the supernatural feats of sending fire from Heaven to consume a sacrifice, holding back rain for years, and then sending rain again. And maybe he did only ask these specific things once, yet I am confident that Elijah was a man of constant prayer. It was in the consistency of his prayer life that he learned to rely on the character of a God “who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20a). And, I believe that it was to constancy in prayer that Jesus was pointing when He shared this parable.
Persistence and Dependency
The Christian life is all about dependency. Jesus taught,
“‘Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing’” (John 15:4-5).
Why then would prayer be the one thing in which we need to strive in our own strength to get God’s attention or approval? Instead, prayer is just one more area of the Christian life in that we need the help of God.
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).
The purpose of prayer is not to twist God’s arm into giving us what we want; the purpose of prayer is to discover what God wants for us. Prayer is about relationship. The more time we spend in prayer, the better we get to know God and the more we realize how much He loves us and that His will is best for us. Prayer is a conversation with God. The more we converse with Him, the more we discover that He is not at all like the unrighteous judge in Jesus’ parable. According to Jesus, His Father is the exact opposite.
“‘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” (Luke 18:7-8a).
Crying out to God day and night is the picture of consistency. Jesus said His Father would not delay long but would speedily answer the prayers of His children who continually pray. According to what Jesus said, God isn’t wasting a lot of time getting around to answering prayers. So, why then does it sometimes seem like your specific, God-honoring, faith-filled, consistent prayers presented to a loving, able God go unanswered?
Reasons Persistence is Necessary
The time isn’t right
A child may ask for a cookie before dinner. Cookies could be readily available and within the reach of the child’s father yet the father may still deny the child’s request. It is not because the cookie is a bad thing. It is not because the cookie would not delight the child. It is because eating a cookie before dinner is not the right time. A wise father knows that a cookie before a meal will most likely prevent the child from receiving the good nutrition the meal provides. He also knows that the anticipation of a cookie after dinner will encourage the child to eat the required amount of the meal necessary for his/her health. Then, after dinner, the child can ask for a cookie and it can be given for the pleasure of both the father and the child.
You may be asking faithfully and consistently for something good but now is not the best time. Or that for which you are praying may be in the works, you just have no way of comprehending how long it takes to get everyone and everything in line to make the fruition of that request possible. God’s perspective is perfect, ours is limited. We are bound by time; God exists outside of time.
We may see a few pieces of the puzzle but God holds the box with the whole picture in front of Him. He is the only one who knows what the final picture looks like. He knows which pieces go where, and He knows in what order they should be placed. We might actually be getting in the way or messing up the puzzle by our constant nagging that it gets finished in our time.
You are not right
You could be deceived. You might think your faith-filled, consistent prayers are God-glorifying, but they are really selfish and harmful.
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:3-4).
Every decision God makes is out of love and is in the best interest of His children. God will not answer prayers that harm you or others. No matter how much a toddler may plead for permission to play in the busy street, a wise and loving parent will not comply. No matter how much a child may think playing with a loaded gun would be fun, a rational and attentive parent will keep it out of his/her reach. No matter how much a teenager may be determined to destroy him/herself with self-harm or illegal substances, a sensible and devoted parent will continue to put up boundaries and come to the rescue.
Also, God will not answer prayers that will harm your relationship with Him. Some things that seem good on the surface can turn into addictions or distractions that drive one away from God instead of toward Him. God is ultimately the source of all your needs. Why would He willingly allow something inferior to take His place in your life?
Likewise, there could be unconfessed sin in your life blocking your prayers from being heard and, therefore, answered.
God is so opposed to sin that He gave everything He could to make sure it was eradicated from His people. Jesus gave up the comforts of Heaven to come to Earth in the body of man. He shed His blood so that our sins could be forgiven. He sacrificed His body so that our sinful nature could be destroyed. He died, was buried, and rose again to conquer sin, death, and Satan for us. He ascended into Heaven again, where He is preparing a place for His Beloved to spend eternity with Him. And He sent us the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts and to help us become all He intended us to be in the beginning. Do you think after doing all of that to free us from sin, that He will now reward those who refuse to part with their sin?
“‘For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12).
You cannot nurture known sin in your life and expect God to give you what you ask.
“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the LORD would not have listened. But truly God has listened; He has attended to the voice of my prayer” (Psalm 66:18-19).
You cannot treat others poorly and expect God to act on your behalf.
“Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7).
“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him. And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He has commanded us” (1 John 3:21-23).
But, for all who want it, there is hope and a way to be free from the stranglehold of sin.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
It is in continuing to pray and respond to God’s direction that one discovers the deception in his/her heart and the unconfessed sin he/she is codling. It is in always praying and not losing heart that one is able to repent and get right with God. And it is in praying persistently that one begins to ask what is according to God’s will.
You aren’t thankful
How eager would you be to give repeatedly to someone who never showed his/her appreciation for anything you had done for him/her? How interested are you in expending yourself on someone who takes constantly and never gives back?
Another reason answers to your prayers may be long in coming is because you haven’t been thankful for the prayers God has already answered on your behalf. Or maybe you have little appreciation for all the amazing things He has done for you for which you didn’t even think to ask.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (1 Timothy 2:1).
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
Thanksgiving helps you remember the prayers has God answered, many of them above, beyond, and better than you asked. Thanksgiving gives hope that God will continue to answer in similar ways. And thanksgiving honors the God who is so willing to answer prayers.
If you pray about everything, you will likely see answers every day. Praying about the little things and realizing their answers will give you hope that God will likewise answer in the big things.
Something better is in the works
Another reason your prayers may not be being answered as you would anticipate is that God has got something much better planned than what you are asking.
Many years ago, when my children were young, I was wrapping Christmas gifts for members of our extended family. My children weren’t much interested in the gifts; all things they would think were exciting were already wrapped and under the tree. But the project did provide many enticing treasures like empty wrapping paper tubes, smashed bows, and random packaging materials.
My son discovered some things among the mess that sparked his creative imagination. He grabbed up some Styrofoam and a few pieces of cardboard and set about attempting to make a football helmet. He soon discovered the task was more difficult than he had expected and asked me for assistance. But I refused to help him. And he got very frustrated with me.
Though he interpreted it as such, my refusal had nothing to do with my selfishness. I didn’t ignore his request because of a lack of ability, or time, or love for him. I didn’t decline to help him because I didn’t appreciate the fact that he would love a football helmet. I refused because under the Christmas tree was a gift for him. In that package were a child-sized football helmet, a jersey, and a pair of football pants. They were decorated in the colors and with the emblem of his favorite team. I didn’t help him make a football helmet out of the garbage because I had already purchased something better for him.
When Christmas came, my son understood why I declined to give my assistance when he wanted it. The lesson was not lost on him. Decades later, he still has that helmet. A Styrofoam and cardboard helmet would have found a place in the garbage in a short time but this helmet holds a special place in his home and his heart. He keeps it on a shelf in his bedroom; he takes it down from time to time and lets his niece and nephew try it on but he returns it to its place promptly.
Many times, God makes us wait to have our prayers answered because He has something better planned. Because He doesn’t act immediately, we think He doesn’t care or isn’t able to provide our request but all the while, He is planning something beyond our wildest dreams. We miss out on experiencing all God has planned because we take things into our own hands, make our own way, and settle for far less than He was delighted to give us. All because we refuse to trust Him and wait for His timing.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:31-32)?
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Something dearer is in the works
“Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
I have been praying for revival in my country nearly every day for almost three decades. People far greater, more gifted, and godlier than I have prayed for that same thing long before I was born. The reason revival has not yet come is beyond my understanding but not above God’s purposes.
Although I have been consistent in my praying, my prayer for revival has not yet been answered and it may not be answered while I am here to see it. But I believe God has been answering prayers related to this desire that I didn’t even think to ask. God has been honored by my desire to see His name held high and His will to be done. And God has seen the desires of my heart.
Part of the reason I began to pray for revival is that I wanted my children to grow up in a more God-centered environment. Instead of providing a better world, God has showered His grace upon my family. All through the years of raising our children, God provided us with wisdom, resources, protection, and blessing. Because we love God and want others to know Him, He has greatly blessed us. Each of our children loves the Lord and has grabbed up a vibrant faith for themselves. They have been drawn to mates who also love the Lord and they are raising their children in like manner. Because I sought first His kingdom, God has given me the desire of my heart—godly offspring.
“‘The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him’” (2 Chronicles 16:9a NKJV2).
There is spiritual interference
Sometimes, even though the time is right and you are right, the answers to your specific, God-honoring, faith-filled prayers don’t come right away. Sometimes, you are praying exactly what God would have you pray but the answer is delayed. That may mean something is happening in the spiritual world to keep your request from being honored in a timely manner. Daniel, a devout man of prayer, experienced that very thing. He had been fasting and agonizing in prayer for three weeks unable to understand why it was taking so long for his prayer to be answered. Finally, an angel appeared to him and explained,
“‘O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now, I have been sent to you … Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me … and came to make you understand’” (Daniel 10:2-6, 11a, &12-14a).
An angel may never come to you to explain to you the spiritual struggle that ensued in response to your prayers, but that doesn’t mean something like this has never happened when you have prayed. Notice how the angel told Daniel that he was sent to answer his prayer the first day he spoke the words but evil prevented the request from being delivered. The angel struggled with the demon for three weeks before spiritual reinforcements were sent to relieve him and help him get to Daniel with the answer to his prayer.
Persistence and Faith
This parable above, about not giving up on prayer, is in the context of Jesus’ discussion with His disciples about the rapture. Evidently, people who appear exactly the same from the outside won’t have the same destiny.
“‘I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left’” (Luke 17:34-36). “‘Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left’” (Luke 17:36 NKJV2).
Because Jesus told this parable about not giving up on prayer immediately after His comments on the rapture, there must be some significant difference between those who are taken and those who are left related to consistent prayer. And persistence in prayer must have something to do with what Jesus asked immediately after He shared the story. Jesus wondered, “‘When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth’” (Luke 18:8b)?
I believe that the practice of always being in prayer is what maintains a meaningful relationship with God. Why else would Jesus, as often as possible, “withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Luke 5:16)? Could it be that Jesus, as the Son of God, having spent eternity past in constant communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, knew that prayer was the only way He could continue in this perfect fellowship while He was here on Earth?
Perhaps Jesus knew, what many don’t realize, that consistent prayer is the lifeblood of a relationship with God. If one is constantly communicating with God—listening as well as talking—he/she will be the one who hears from God and is aware of what He is doing. That one, who is walking a faith-filled life responding to God’s direction constantly, will be ready to go when Jesus returns for His Beloved.
Through consistency in prayer, one learns to hear God and respond to His will. Through persistence in prayer, one experiences the refining of his/her requests to match God’s best. Jesus is our example of this:
“In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:7-9).
In the Garden of Gethsemane, on that night before He was crucified, “being in agony, [Jesus] prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Jesus prayed urgently, “‘Father, all things are possible for You. Remove this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will’” (Mark 14:36). Again, He prayed, “‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done’” (Matthew 26:42). Finally, Jesus got up off His knees, in the strength He gained from communicating with the Father, and continued on with what He was sent to do.
Though Jesus didn’t want to go through the physical pain of the cross or the spiritual rejection from the Father as He had all the sins of all the world of all time placed on Him, He knew what His Father wanted was best for everyone. Aren’t you glad the Father looked at the whole picture, chose to not take the cup away from Jesus, but had His will be done instead? If the Father had prevented Jesus’ suffering, there would be no hope for us!
Persistence and Submission
Jesus approached the Father like we all should be approaching Him in prayer—politely asking for what we want but submitting to God’s overall wisdom concerning the situation. (In my next blog post, I will continue to discuss how we should approach God in prayer. For that article, click here: Approaching the Throne of God | Blue Turtle Trails).
(For my last article on prayer, click here: A Friend, a Father, and a Little Bit of Faith | Blue Turtle Trails).
Imagine how the scenario with my grandson asking to watch a tractor video would have ended differently if he chose to sit there and pout after his mother’s first apparent “no.”? Or, what do you think would have happened if he started to whine or throw a temper tantrum when his request wasn’t granted immediately? You can be sure that both of those responses would have resulted in him being unable to watch a video about tractors.
Now, imagine that getting ice cream wasn’t the most fun thing my daughter had planned for the day? What if after we had ice cream, we were going to go to the fair and look at real tractors—tractors that my grandson could touch, sit upon, and pretend to drive. Certainly, that would have been more to his liking than watching a video about the thing he loves. Then, what if my grandson asked to watch a video and his mommy said, “No, I have something better planned”? Though it is a lot to expect from a two-year-old, especially if my daughter didn’t tell him what the better thing was, I hope he would be able to respond politely knowing something much better was coming. But what do you think could have happened then if my grandson began to pout, whine, or throw a temper tantrum? Instead of looking at any tractors, I have an idea he would have ended up going home for a nap.
How often we miss out on all God has planned for us because we quit asking immediately after what seems like denial. Other times, we go the opposite direction and do the equivalent of stomping and screaming in demanding our own way. If we take this approach, we might get what we want but we won’t end up with God’s best for us. May we have enough faith in God’s character that we never cease to politely ask and attentively listen for His response. May we adjust our demands to His responses and cordially ask again and again until His will is done in our lives. And may Jesus find us praying in faith when He returns.
“The spirit of prayer is for all times, and all occasions; it is a lamp that is to be always burning, a light to be ever shining; everything calls for it, everything is to be done in it, and governed by it; because it is, and means, and wills nothing else, but the whole totality of the soul, not doing this or that, but wholly, incessantly given up to God, to be where, and what, and how He pleases.” – William Law (1687-1761)
1 Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.
2 Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the Holy Bible, New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.