Genesis 32:22-30; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Prayer should be like calling your best friend. It should be like talking with a spouse. It should be like having a conversation with your own parent. Prayer should be like all these things because we should want to pray just as much as we want to hear from and talk to those we love. It shouldn’t be seen as something burdensome or useless. After all, a five-minute conversation with any loved one is of great benefit. 

So, why is talking to God any different than talking to these? Perhaps, prayer is so dressed up in spiritual garb that we think it’s actually different. Or perhaps, we begin to think that prayer doesn’t do as much as we’re told. There’s no escaping the feeling that you’re talking to an empty room when you pray. We certainly wish God would just open the heavens and speak with us or even call us on our phones. How hard could that be for God?!

Yet, this is the difficulty we always have with prayer. It doesn’t seem to do anything. God doesn’t act as quickly as we would like him too. When we pray, we often expect God to answer immediately, especially when we pray for something repeatedly. We can ask only so many times before we start to give up on receiving an answer or reply.

For this is the purpose of Jesus’ parable this week. “[Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart,” Luke 18:1. Jesus wants us to pray. He wants us to want to pray so that we don’t lose heart. He doesn’t want us to give up hope and faith in God. For so he told us this parable. The widow in ancient Israel had no standing in society to request anything; yet this is why God required society to care for them. The unrighteous judge however had no care for God or his commands. He thus had no reason to hear her out or to give her what she wanted.

This widow was answered for her persistence. Even an unrighteous judge has reason to vindicate a lowly widow. How much more so God?! That’s ultimately the point. If even an unrighteous person on earth can be persuaded or convinced to answer us in our favor, God who cares immensely more for you and loves you will bring you justice quickly! God is gracious and merciful. He hears the cries of his saints night and day, and he will not delay his judgment forever. For this is his judgment. God has suffered long over our sin that he may answer us and vindicate us in Christ. For by his grace and mercy, he gave us Jesus to die for our sins that we may not suffer forever but have peace and eternal life! God was vindicated when He raised Jesus from the dead to declare his victory over sin, death, the devil and all evil on earth. So, may we always pray to God, bringing every plight and trouble before him and never lose heart. For he will answer us quickly with his grace in Christ Jesus!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord, almighty and everlasting God, You have commanded us to pray and have promised to hear us. Mercifully grant that Your Holy Spirit may direct and govern our hearts in all things that we may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!