New Series: Pray this way...
Sermon Recap
Luke 18:1–8 teaches that believers ought
“always to pray and not lose heart.” Jesus tells the parable of a persistent
widow who wears down an unjust judge through sheer perseverance, then makes a
“how much more” argument: if even an uninterested, unrighteous judge eventually
gives justice, how much more will a good and loving Father respond to His own
children who cry out to Him day and night? Persistent prayer is not about convincing
a reluctant God. It is the natural posture of faith that keeps trusting Him
even when the answer is delayed.
Luke 18:1-8
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
“And He told them a parable to the effect
that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city
there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a
widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, “Give me justice against
my adversary.” For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself,
“Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps
bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her
continual coming.”’ And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He
delay long over them? I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily.
Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?’”
The
Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001
by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Luke 18:1-8.
Discussion Questions
- What stands out to you most in Luke 18:1-8?
- Why do you think Jesus used an unjust judge, rather than a good one, to make His point about God?
- What is the difference between persistent prayer that flows from faith and prayer that flows from doubt or anxiety?
- Why do you think believers are tempted to lose heart when prayers aren’t answered quickly?
- How does Jesus’ closing question about finding faith on earth connect persistence in prayer to the state of our faith?
- What is a situation in your life right now where you need to keep praying and not lose heart?
Closing Thoughts
Jesus told this parable precisely because
perseverance in prayer does not come naturally when circumstances are
discouraging. As a group, we can carry each other’s burdens by continuing to
pray for one another’s requests over time, refusing to give up on people or
situations too quickly, and reminding one another that God is not an unjust
judge who must be worn down, but a Father eager to act on behalf of His people.
A church that prays persistently becomes a people marked by hope rather than
discouragement.
END
Teacher Notes:
What stands out to you about Chris and the
advice
he gives his son?
Perseverance is easy to talk about when you
know the story has a happy ending.
It's much harder to persevere when you're
still in the middle
of the struggle.
The widow in Jesus' parable today, is also in
the middle of a struggle. She doesn't know how her story is going to end. She
doesn't know if or when justice will come. She doesn't even have a sympathetic
person in authority on her side.
But she keeps coming.
Luke 18:1–8
“And He told them a parable to the effect
that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city
there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a
widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, “Give me justice against
my adversary.” For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself,
“Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps
bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her
continual coming.”’ And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will
He delay long over them? I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily.
Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?’”
Jesus is addressing something that we all
experience:
What happens to our prayer life when God
doesn’t
seem to answer?
It's easy to pray when:
the diagnosis is good
job comes through
prodigal comes home
financial problem is resolved
relationship is restored
surgery goes well
or an answer comes quickly
But what causes us to lose heart when we've
been praying about something for a long time and nothing seems to change?
Prayer: Transaction vs. Relationship
Transactional Prayer says, God, give me this.
Relational Prayer says, God, I trust You with
this.
Persistent prayer isn’t always repeating the
same request. Sometimes it’s just continuing to say, Father, I don't
understand, but I still trust You.
The Christian isn't promised: If you persist
long enough, you'll get the outcome you want.
We're promised something deeper: God is
faithful, and therefore we can continue trusting Him even when
the outcome is uncertain.
Giving up says,
God isn't going to do anything.
Surrender says,
God, I don't know what You're going to do,
but I trust You.
Click Play to Watch
But sometimes our stories don't resolve as
quickly as Chris Gardner. Some prayers take months. Some take years. And some
we may not see answered this side of heaven.
This is where the words of Jesus become so important: “Pray and don't lose heart.”
The Bible gives this image an even deeper
meaning. The rainbow first appears in Scripture as a sign of God's covenant — a
reminder that God keeps His promises.
The rain represents what we see.
The rainbow reminds us of what we know: God
is faithful.
Jesus ends this parable by asking,
“When the Son of Man comes, will He find
faith on earth?”
The question isn't whether there will be
rain. There will be.
The question is, when the rain comes, will we
still believe
in the promise?
Perhaps one of the great gifts of growing
older is that we have enough history with God to know that He can be trusted —
even when we don't understand everything.
Conclusion
Faith says, I will keep praying — not because
I know what God is going to do, but because
I know who He is.
