Then Jesus told his disciples a parable
to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1
“OK, OK, I’m
coming,” Judge Barker growled, grabbing his bathrobe as he stomped down the
hall. He flung open the front door and squinted into the porch light. The old
woman was a familiar sight, silhouetted against the blanket of darkness. She
smiled sweetly and held out a flower. “Your Honor, I haven’t heard from you in
a couple of weeks, and your secretary stopped taking my calls. I just wondered
if you’d made a decision about my case.” The judge glared at the wilted flower.
“Did you pick that out of my yard?” “Well, yes sir, I hope you don’t mind. I
hated to come emptyhanded.” The judge slumped against the doorjamb and sighed.
“All right. You win. I’ll hear your case first thing in the morn—” His words
were cut off as his visitor grabbed him around the neck. “Oh, thank you, sir!”
He mumbled a curse, but she glimpsed the hint of a smile just before he closed
the door.
What an odd story Jesus
told to remind us to keep praying. God is not a grumpy judge, so why would
Jesus compare Him to one? He is using contrast to illustrate the differences
between a grumpy judge and our heavenly Father. If a grumpy judge would grant a
persistent request, how much more does our Righteous Judge listen to the
requests of His children when we persist in prayer. We have thousands of
throw-away requests: “Help them not to see me here!” “Let that guy
turn right!” “Make my bank balance not say what I think it says!” But important
issues are worth our persistence. After we’ve exhausted our list of silly
requests, we can get serious about what really matters. And if it matters that
much to us, it matters that much to Him.
What in your life is worth
persevering in prayer about? Have you given up? Jesus said to keep praying.
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