Persistence?

Luke 18:1 One day, Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.² “There

was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. ³ A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’⁴ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, ⁵ but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” ⁶ Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. ⁷ Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

Jesus told this story to His disciples to illustrate the persistence when praying, but the real meaning He was getting across wasn't to compare God to the unjust judge, but to be persistent in your prayers, because our Heavenly Father is listening!! Some may think God is distant at times, but not so per Psalm 139: ¹ O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. ² You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. ³ You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. ⁴ You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. ⁵ You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. God is present and accounted for, and He is near and dear to all His children on a very individual basis. When I call out to Him, God is listening, and this part of our relationship with the Father was made possible by the blood of Jesus, so I pray the blood of Jesus over every prayer. Revelation 12:10b For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night.¹¹ And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.

Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica and told them to pray without ceasing, which shows a persistence in communicating with our Heavenly Father, or Abba Father. 1 Thessalonians 5:¹⁷ Never stop praying. I love spending time with my Heavenly Father, and the wonderful love He shows me causes me to be very persistent in reaching out to HIm and listening to Him. That is the root of my faith walk. The Psalmist called this opportunity to reach out to God our life and in Psalm 34: ¹⁷ The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help, He rescues them from all their troubles.¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Our God is actively listening to our prayers, and He persists in His listening, just waiting to hear His children call out to HIm!!

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren