"The Widow And The Unjust Judge”

Introduction:

Above the door frame of my front door is an elongated plaque mounted. Inscribed upon it are the words, “Handle with Prayer.” Every time you come through that door or walk around the living room, this visible reminder stands as a testament of what to do with everything in life: Handle with Prayer.

I believe strongly in prayer and in the power of prayer. And, I believe it is a part of our relationship with God where we can never stop growing in or do too much. I believe prayer is a wonderful privilege that God extends to us to come and talk to Him, to lay everything at His feet. I believe prayer shouldn’t be our last resort when times become difficult. Rather, it should be the first life-saving ring we grab when we are drowning and hold on to it for dear life.

Is it always easy? No. But, then again, neither is life, hence the need for these reminders to take everything to the Lord in prayer before, in the middle of, and after feeling totally overwhelmed by it all.

Prayer is something that should be a natural part of every Christian’s life, but something many use too infrequently or stop when they don’t receive an immediate answer or results they were looking for. What Jesus teaches us in today’s parable is sometimes you have to keep going for it. We cannot always expect microwave results. Sometimes we must labor in prayer, and through the power of prayer, repeatedly keep petitioning heaven with those requests.

Luke 18:1-3 “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.”

The operation or workings of prayer have been a mystery to some through the ages. For some prayer seems to be some mundane Christian civic duty; a check off list, if you will, of something that needs to be done. For others, prayer seems to be elusive; difficult to understand the concept of and even more difficult to do.

Good news! Prayer is not either of those things. Prayer is something that is given to us as an honor; as a way to reach the heavenly Father personally, one on one. How awesome is that? Prayer is as essential to the Christian life as breathing or eating. It is necessary to stay spiritually nourished in Him.

Jesus, therefore, sets about in this lesson opening to His disciples the importance of not giving up in prayer. To keep laboring through and be persistent in our requests to God.

Many today teach that if we keep going to God over and over again with the same request, then that is a sign that we don’t have the proper faith attached to our request, or that we don’t believe God. Whereas Jesus teaches us in this lesson, “men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” And, as we find in our lesson, that also covers when we repeatedly take the same request to Him in prayer.

This was a necessary concept for His disciples to grasp. Jesus had just finished talking to them about His second coming (Luke 17:20-37). Which means, there must be a departure from His first coming, or as we know, His death, resurrection, and ascension.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus spoke of and demonstrated a life of prayer. After His departure, prayer is where the disciples must find strength in the continuing forth of the ministry left for them to fulfill. If Jesus depended often on prayer, surely the disciples, and we, need it all the more.

Martin Luther is quoted as saying, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing,” (Quote: Brainy Quote). Why is that? Because as breath is with the body, with each inhale and exhale one’s life is sustained; so is the prayer line that fosters that interpersonal relationship between God and man. It is not only life-sustaining, but it’s soul-sustaining keeping that glorious love connection betwixt the two opened and flowing. That’s what Jesus did, He prayed!

Corrie Ten Boom once asked, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” (Quote Source: Crosswalk). Because, if it’s your steering wheel it is something you will be using to guide every step of every day, but if it’s your spare tire, you only pull it out of your spiritual trunk in times of emergencies.

To have a strong life of faith, going to the spiritual trunk for emergencies just won’t do. That’s why Jesus Christ Himself said, “men ought always to pray.” That word “always” tells us there is never a time when it is not a good idea to pray. Prayer in an appropriate action for the Christian to take at all times, or always. George Herbert said, “Prayer should be the key of the day and the lock of the night;” (AZQuotes) it opens us up in the morning and lays us down at bedtime. The Apostle Paul taught, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God,” (Philippians 4:6; emphasis mine). Simply put, and agreeing with our Lord, prayer is something that we should always do, and it is always a good idea.