Luke 18:1-8
THE POWER OF PERSISTENT PRAYER
Intro: Most of us are familiar with Ted Turner, the cable television millionaire. Turner, at the
American Humanist Association banquet, where he received an award for his work on the
environment and world peace, openly criticized fundamental Christianity. He said, "Jesus would
be sick at his stomach over the way his ideas have been twisted." He went on to say, "I’ve
been saved seven or eight times. But, I gave up on it, when, despite my prayers, my sister
died. The more I strayed from my faith, the better I felt!"
Ted Turner is dead wrong, but he is perfectly reflecting the attitude many hold concerning God
and the matter of prayer. Many people will pray about something for a while and when the answer
doesn’t come when they think it should, they just throw up their hands in defeat and say, “What’s
the use?” Many of us wouldn’t admit that tonight, but we have done the same thing! This passage
is a challenge to that notion!
In these verses, the Lord Jesus tells His disciples a parable that is designed to teach them the
importance of remaining persistent in prayer. I would like for us to examine this parable together
this evening because we need to hear the truths that are taught here. Why? Because in the church
and in the work of the Lord, everything rises or falls on prayer! That is why we take the first part
of our Wednesday service and devote it to prayer. I pray the Lord will give us such a spirit of
prayer around here that the entire service is devoted to praying! (Note: By the way, it is a sad
commentary that many people stay away from the Wednesday service because of the extended
prayer time!) That is why we have prayer rooms before every service. That is why a small, ever
decreasing handful of people gather on Friday evenings. We need to pray and we must be
persistent in our praying.
Let’s take a look into this parable today and see the truths that are contained here. It is these
truths that teach us about The Power Of Persistent Prayer.
I. THE CRY OF THE WIDOW
A. V. 3 Her Demand - We do not know the nature of this woman’s burden, but she had a
grievance against someone that was lying very heavily upon her heart.
B. V. 3 Her Disadvantages - This poor soul had several things working against her, when it
came to seeking redress before a court of law. 1.) She was a woman and women were
not allowed to speak in court.
2.) She was a widow and she had no husband to speak for her.
3.) She was a widow and they were a segment of society that was oppressed and often
taken advantage of.
4.) She was a widow and being a widow was synonymous with being poor. She had no
money with which to grease the wheels of justice. She could not have paid a bribe had
she wanted too.
C. V. 5b Her Determination - The Bible refers to her “continual coming”. This phrase has
the idea that she was begging this judge for help every day. When he would show up for
court, there she was. When he went into the marketplace, there she was. She pleaded
with him in front of his friends. She stalked him at home. Everywhere he went, there she
was, constantly asking him to give her satisfaction.
D. Her Desperation - Because of her social standing and because of her financial standing,
she had no other hope but to get help from this judge. Therefore, she made a nuisance of
herself before him, everyday, until she received the very thing she was after!
(Note: This widow represents us. There are times when we too are burdened down with cares,
worries, fears and troubles. During those times, it may seem that every circumstance of life is
stacked against us. There may be the temptation to say, “What’s the use?”, especially after
we have prayed and prayed and prayed about some matter. Yet, if we can learn anything from
this poor woman, let us learn the lesson that persistence in prayer pays off in God’s time! So,
keep praying, despite all the obstacles you face and despite all the signs that say you should
just give up!)
II. THE COLDNESS OF THE JUDGE
A. V. 2 He Was Corrupt - This man did not care anything about God or man. All he cared
about was himself and his own life. To put is simply, he was a wicked man! To understand
this judge, we need to understand something of what the judicial system was like in those
days. Wiersbe describes it this way, “The courtroom was not a fine building but a tent that
was moved from place to place as the judge covered his circuit. The judge, not the law,
set the agenda; and he sat regally in the tent, surrounded by his assistants. Anybody could
watch the proceeding from outside, but only those who were approved and accepted could
have their cases tried. This usually meant bribing one of the assistants so that he could
call the judges attention to the case. This is still true in much of the third world countries
today.” [Warren Weirsbe. Be Courageous Luke 14-24. (Wheaton, ILL.: Victor Books, 1989)
p. 62]
B. V. 4a He Was Calloused - Even though he had heard this widow’s petition and saw she
had a case, he would not do as she asked. He simply turned a deaf ear to her pleas for
help. He was hard hearted and close minded to the needs of others.
C. V. 4b-5 He Was Condescending - In spite of his spiritual condition and in spite of the fact
that he did not care for this widow in the least, in the end, he helped her! Why? The answer
lies in verse 5. There are two words there that are of special interest.
1.) Troubleth - This word comes from two words that mean, “to reach forth to beat
another or to cause another trouble.”
2.) Weary - This word means “to beat down, to blacken the eye”. It is a word used to
describe the effects of being beaten severely about the head. Evidently this means
that her continually coming before him and her constant crying was hurting this man’s
reputation. She was giving him a “black eye” in the community!
(Note: For us, the lesson here is this: We may not get the answer we want immediately, but
we must keep asking and keep believing. God will answer in His time!)
(Ill. John Wesley, the great Methodist preacher, encountered many times
of refusal, and denial, during his early years in the ministry. He logged a few of these instances
in his diary:
Sunday A.M., May 5:Preached in St. Anne’s. Asked not to come back. Sunday P.M., May
5:Preached in St. John’s. Deacons said, "Get out, and stay out!"
Sunday A.M., May 12:Preached in St. Jude’s. Can’t go back there either.
Sunday P.M., May 19:Preached in St. Somebody Else’s. Deacons called special meeting, and
said I couldn’t return.
Sunday A.M., May 26:Preached on street. Kicked off street.
Sunday A.M., June 2:Preached at the edge of town. Kicked off highway. Sunday P.M., June
2:Preached in a pasture. Ten thousand came.
If you and I are to get an answer, it may take some action. Consistent, and persistent action!
I believe that George Mueller, the great prayer warrior said it well, when he said, "The great
fault of the children of God is, they do not continue in prayer; they do not go on praying;
they do not persevere!")
III. THE CONTRAST WITH OUR FATHER
(Note: Jesus now turns from the character in this parable to the Father up in Heaven. He
shows us that God, Who is nothing like the unjust judge, delights in answering the prayers of
His elect.)
A. V. 7 He Hears His People - We need never fear that God doesn’t hear us, because His
ear is ever open to the cry of His children, Isa. 65:24; Jer. 33:3; 1 John 5:14-15.
B. V. 7 He Honors Their Persistence - “though He bear long with them”. Sometimes
prayer is answered immediately, at other times, the answer is delayed for some time. The
key is not giving up! God isn’t just making us wait, He is working out the answers we seek.
Our persistence in prayer demonstrates the depth of our burden. If you can pray about an
item once or twice and then give up, you weren’t really burdened over it. A genuine burden
will put you before God and keep you there until He answers!
C. V. 8a He Handles Their Petitions - He doesn’t turn a deaf ear to our petitions, but He
begins the process of working them out speedily. In truth, real prayer is the evidence of
God’s impending answer. Why? Because real prayer always begins with God. The Spirit
burdens our hearts and we offer the burden back to God, Who is already busily engaged
in bringing about the answer, Rom. 8:26-27. What great confidence that ought to give us
in prayer! What a desire that should put within us to seek Hid face more consistently and
persistently in prayer!
IV. THE CHALLENGE TO THE SAINTS
(Note: What are we to do with this message? I think the answer can be summed up by three
simple challenges that will make all the difference in our prayer lives.)
A. V. 1 Be Committed To Prayer - Jesus says that we “ought always to pray”. This is the
idea that we find in 1 Thes. 5:17, where the Bible says, “Pray without ceasing.” “Without
ceasing” has the idea of “no intermission”. It can refer to a nagging cough, a tickle at
the back of the throat that says a cough is always about to happen. Jesus is telling us to
“to ready. To be on guard, to be watchful” It is the idea of “being in the attitude and
atmosphere of prayer all the time.” You see, prayer is more than an obligation. It is also
an opportunity. It is an opportunity for us to be in touch with our heavenly Father any time
the need arises!
B. V. 1 Be Consistent In Prayer - “Not to faint” - This phrase means “to lose heart, to
become slothful, to grow weary”. Jesus challenges His people not to lose heart during
the times when answer to prayer is delayed. Don’t give up, keep praying and don’t lose
heart! God will move in His time! This is illustrated by the Lord’s promise in Galatians 6:9!
C. V. 8 Be Comforted By Prayer - The last question in verse 8 wonders if Jesus will find faith
when He returns. That is, “will He find His people persisting in prayer before the
Father over the things that really matter?” The answer to that question depends upon
you and me! We may be faithful and we may not. We might persist and we might not. You
say, where is the comfort in this? It lies in what Jesus said! Notice that He said, “When
the Son of Man cometh...” The comfort in prayer is this: God’s people may not always
do what they are supposed to do, but they can count on the Lord to keep every promise
He had ever made. He will be faithful to honor His Word to us. You may feel like giving
up, but you keep on praying and He will answer in His time! That is His promise, John
15:7; John 16:23; Matt. 21:22; ***Matt. 7:7-8***.
Conc: While crossing the Atlantic, on an oceanliner, F.B. Meyer was asked to address the
passengers on the subject of answered prayer. An agnostic, who was present at the service was
asked, "What did you think of Dr. Meyer’s sermon?" To which he replied, "I didn’t believe a word
of it."
Later that afternoon, the agnostic was on his way to another service, just to hear, as he put it,
what the "babbler had to say." He put two oranges in his pocket, and as he walked toward the
meeting place, he passed an elderly woman, who was sitting in her chair, fast asleep. In the spirit
of fun, the man slipped those two oranges into her outstretched palms.
After the meeting, he saw the old lady happily eating one of those oranges. He remarked, "You
seem to be enjoying those oranges ma’am!"
To which she replied, "Yes sir, my Father is very good to me!" He said, "Your Father? Surely you
father can’t still be alive!" She exclaimed, "Praise God, He’s very much alive!" She then went on
to explain it to the agnostic, and said, "You see, I’ve been sea sick for days. I was asking God to
somehow send me an orange to help ease my sickness. I suppose I fell asleep while I was
praying. However, when I woke up, I found that He had not only sent me one orange, but two!"
To this response, the agnostic was speechless. Later on that same cruise, he was converted to
Christ, and was made a believer that God answers prayer!
Keep on praying saints! The answer is on the way!