“Then He (Jesus) spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and not lose heart… Shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Lk 18:1-8)

This is one of the parables of Jesus. He says there was a poor woman, a widow, who had a big enemy she could not fight by herself. In the Bible, symbolically, a woman stands for the church. A widow means a believer in Christ who has no human helper and is facing strong opposition. This woman knows that she has no strength and no resources to fight her strong enemy.  But she wants vindication and victory. The only man who can help her is a judge in that town. But this judge is very harsh. He does not fear God and he cares nothing about anybody. But he is her only hope for a breakthrough. This woman is not intimidated by the difficulty of her position. She decides to go to see the judge and to plead with him as often as she can. For fear that he will get ‘weary by her continual coming’, the judge finally grants her plea. What is the lesson for us?

Jesus said that we should learn from this woman and pray to God until there is an answer. God always answers His children. His answers can be: Yes, No or Wait. If the answer is yes, then your miracle will manifest immediately. If the answer is no, you will lose ‘the push’ to pray. But if the answer is ‘wait’, then you are to pray until the answer changes into a ‘yes’. Jesus says that ‘the elect cry to God day and night’. The sign that you are a child of God is that you pray until God answers. If you get tired of waiting and praying, it may be that you are not a true believer or that you are backsliding.

Why do believers stop praying? The danger is to become over-involved with the cares of this world. Being too anxious about your ordinary natural life (about your marriage, children, job, school, money…) will quench the spirit of prayer. Knowing that God alone can truly help, you have no excuse to stop praying before God answers you. The prophet Samuel said that to stop praying or to stop teaching others the Word of God is sin. “Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way” (1Sam 12:23).

Jesus connects prayer and faith (verse 1 and 8). When you pray for a particular blessing, as you pray, your faith will increase. Then you use your higher faith to pray even more. Both faith and prayer shall become stronger, helping one another. But if you stop praying, your faith will become weak and you shall faint spiritually.  The lesson: continue to pray and ask God for your heart’s desire!  You know that you pray well when you sense your faith increases. That is the time when God answers! Christianity is not easy. You must read the Bible and you must put into practice the Word you have read. This is the way to spiritual maturity. May God open your spiritual eyes, open your spiritual ears and touch your heart to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit! Go back to the prayer room! God is waiting for you! Glory to God!

This is the Word of God:

“Rejoice evermore.

Pray without ceasing.

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Quench not the Spirit.

Despise not prophesyings!

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Abstain from all appearance of evil.

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faithful is He that calls you, who also will do it” (1Thess 16-24)