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Persistent Prayer part 3
This week we have been looking at the parable of the persistent widow and how this relates to persistent prayer. Last time we looked at the widow herself and how she represents the church. Today I want us to look at the Judge and ultimately God.
So what does the text tell us about the Judge? The first thing we are told about him was that he did not fear God or care about other people. He was a victim of the “me, myself, and I” mentality. Put simply, he was a wicked, self-centered man! To better understand this Judge we need to look again at context – “The courtroom was not a fine building but a tent that was moved from place to place as the judge covered his circuit. The judge, not the law, set the agenda; and he sat regally in the tent, surrounded by his assistants. Anybody could watch the proceeding from outside, but only those who were approved and accepted could have their cases tried. This usually meant bribing one of the assistants so that he could call the judges attention to the case. This is still true in much of the third world countries today.” (Taken from “Be Courageous” by Warren Weirsbe)
The text tells us that this Judge was a hard man, because even though he had heard this widow’s petition and saw she had a case, he would not do as she asked. And yet, in spite of his spiritual condition and the fact that he did not care for this widow in the least, in the end, he gave in and helped her! The question is, why? Well, the answer lies in verse 5. There are two phrases in this verse that are key to understanding why the Judge gave in.
1.) “Because this widow keeps bothering me…” – The widow was incessant. She kept on at him. She refused to give in until she had justice. The Greek text gives the idea that the Judge felt beat up, which leads to the next phrase…
2.) “wear me out” - The Judge felt weary by her constantly coming and pleading with him. The Greek word for weary comes with the idea that someone has been beaten severely about the head. So, we get the picture that she was wearing him down physically and mentally. However, there is also another angle, the idea that her continually coming before him and her constant crying out to him was hurting this man’s reputation. In ancient times a Judge was a high profile person and in a sense she was “beating” him before the watching community!
So the Judge does whatever he has to do to rid himself of this woman – he sees to it that she gets the justice she so desperately seeks.
My question in all of this is how is an unlovable, hard man like the Judge likened to God? Well, notice how Jesus now turns from the Judge to his Father. He shows us that God is nothing like the unjust judge, instead delighting in answering the prayers of his children.
In verse 7 Jesus says that God hears his people. The simple fact is we never need to fear that God, like the Judge, will refuse to hear our petitions, because His ear is ever attentive to the cry of His children (Isaiah 65:24; Jeremiah 33:3; 1 John 5:14-15)
Next Jesus asks, “Will he keep putting them off?” Some prayers are answered immediately, and yet sometimes the answer is delayed for some time. The key, as shown in this parable, is not giving up! We are to pray and keep on praying, not because we have to harass God, or because he delights making us wait, but because, if nothing else, our persistence in prayer demonstrates the depth of our burden. If you can pray about an item once or twice and then give up, then maybe it wasn’t that important to begin with. A genuine burden will put you on your knees before God and keep you there until He answers! In the case of the widow, her burden was genuine and kept her coming back to demand justice.
Verse 8 goes on to tell us that God not only hears our prayers but will see that they are answered – “he will see that they get justice, and quickly.” We have to pray in faith (Hebrews 11:1) knowing that God is working everything out for the good of those who believe in him and follow his ways. And we have to pray with confidence, knowing that God loves us as his children. Like Jesus said, “7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil (as in the case of the Judge*), know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:7-11 (*added by me).
Christian St John M.Div, BChM, ACS
March, 2009
Picture by Luiz Ferreira
Hello Christian,
Praying, I believe is relative to where you at and what you are trying to accomplish in prayer. Are there not several types of prayer mentioned in scripture. There are petitions,supplications, prayers of thanksgiving, consecration, intersession, etc. What the unjust judge is about is persistence alright, because he is a free moral agent and God won’t transgress the judges will. Therefore, this is where ask, and keep on asking comes into play.
A prayer of faith on the other hand like the one in Mark 11:24 is prayed once, because you believed you received right then when you prayed. Notice that Jesus said “what things you desire”. When asking for things, there’s no will involved and Hebrews 11:1 kicks in. When you pray and believe you have what you asked for it is like asking for a car and that prayer is answered yes ( if your not in the flesh and merely wanting to consume it on you lust). Faith says I have the car now. I have been given the title in the spirit realm even though my car is still elsewhere in the natural realm. Now Jesus, explaining the parable of the sower said the seed is the word of God. Then he stated that “and so is the Kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground. When you release you faith filled prayer you are planting word seeds and there is a delay between sowing and the full corn in the ear. This an opportune time for the devil to come and tell you that it’s not working. Do you “see anything yet”? He’s attempting to get you to cancel your prayer with your mouth by saying “yep, that’s right, it must not have worked because I don’t see any results.
A faith prayer is a petition that is submitted to the Father once and then you water your seed daily with thanksgiving for what you have received when you prayed. Calling those things that be not as though they were. How can one believe they receive when they prayed and have to bombard God all over again with the same petition. Two different types of prayer. Faith without works or corresponding actions is dead. Faith goes out and buys a pair of “fuzzy dice” to hang off of your new mirror in your new car.
Jesus said the whole Kingdom of God works on this seed principle. Also, everything you senses can wrap around in this natural world was created with words. “And God said Let there be light” And God said, etc. in Genesis one. If words created, everything, isn’t it logical that words will control it. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. That’s why Jesus said if you tell this mountain where to go and don’t doubt in your heart, it would obey YOU. Words, faith filled words. It just won’t work that easy where human wills are involved. So persevere in prayer for your loved ones or any situation where some fallow ground might need softening first and they will be put in a position by God to choose. But it’s still their choice.
Reinhold, Thank you for your comment. I agree that a prayer said in faith is a done deal if it’s what God wants. What I’m talking about is the kind of prayer that comes from burden. Like I wrote in my blog – “The key, as shown in this parable, is not giving up! We are to pray and keep on praying, not because we have to harass God, or because he delights making us wait, but because, if nothing else, our persistence in prayer demonstrates the depth of our burden. If you can pray about an item once or twice and then give up, then maybe it wasn’t that important to begin with. A genuine burden will put you on your knees before God and keep you there until He answers!” Having a car may be a genuine need, as in the case of someone who uses their car for work or ministry purposes. But if the car is just a “want” then maybe it’s best we save for it rather than praying about it. God knows what we need before w e ask him, but sometimes he wants to see that we really desire, not just “want”, the thing, or things we are praying for.