Luke 18:1-8
1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 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? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith?
In this passage of the Bible, Jesus speaks about prayer and not being discouraged, then goes on to tell a story about justice, and ends with a question about faith.
Despite the fact that there are more than 258 million widows around the world, widows have historically been left unseen and unsupported in our societies. The incredibly persistent widow described in Luke is a picture of the oppressed and marginalised, while the unjust judge depicts earthly powers that might stand in the way of those seeking justice and equity. The widow had no advocate to speak on her behalf, which left her in a hopeless state. But rather than giving up, she was relentless in her pursuit of justice.
Jesus shares this parable with his disciples to teach them about the importance of persistent prayer. Sometimes we can see prayer as our last resort, but prayer should actually be our first line of action. One of The Salvation Army’s Freedom Action Framework strategies in response to modern slavery and human trafficking is prayer. This is because prayer is a foundational and powerful tool in fighting injustice. James 5:16 says “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”.
The widow’s persistence and resilience illustrate our need to go before God, who fights for justice on our behalf. Resilience is understanding that our strength comes from the power of the Spirit of God that is in us. It is the inner strength that spurs us into action. Once we learn to be resilient, we can sit amidst a storm and remain calm.
As children of God, we need to know our privilege in Christ that if we ask for anything ‘according to his will’, he hears us. We may not see the full picture of a just society in our lifetime, but we can, and we must, continue praying, seeking, knocking and asking.
Have you given up on helping the needy, fighting for the oppressed or seeking for a just world because of the continuous injustice you see around you? Is there an area in your life in which you have been tempted to give up on prayer? Will you accept Christ’s invitation to be resilient?
Jesus asks, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” In other words, Jesus encourages us to add faith to our perseverance. The Scripture says, “without faith it is impossible to please God…” (Hebrews 11:16).
Download a printable file here: Resilience in Pursuit