Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:1-8, “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. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”

In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus tells the story of an unjust judge, who refused to avenge a widow. But she persistently kept coming and bothering the judge: “Please avenge me judge, avenge me, avenge me, judge avenge me!” So, finally, simply to get rid of her, the judge avenged her of the injustice someone had committed against her. Jesus gave this illustration to teach everyone about the kind of prayer that pleases God. The word is 'IMPORTUNITY' (i.e., insistent begging). God is pleased by our perpetual asking Him for things, whatever it may be. Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint...” “Faint not” means don't quit! What saith the Scripture? ...

James 1:5-6, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

How do you ask in faith without wavering? The answer is simple, you just keep asking until either God answers your prayer, or you no longer feel led to pray over the matter. There are some prayers that I pray that are ongoing; such as, asking with the Lord to work through me as His humble servant to preach the inspired Word of Truth, contend for the Christian faith, love people more, and preach an accurate Gospel so that lost sinners can be saved through faith alone in Christ alone. My desire has always been to simply get MAD (Make An Impact) in people's lives for Jesus Christ my God, Savior and Lord.

My heart tells me the reason why God wants us to pray with IMPORTUNITY is simply because the Lord desires our continual fellowship and communion. Do you understand dear reader the the omnibenevolent, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnisapient and immutable God who spoke over 20 TRILLION known galaxies into existence wants to be your close Friend? I love watching intriguing astronomy videos on YouTube, especially when going to sleep at night.

Sometimes I cry as I learn just how unfathomably large and endless the universe is, realizing that the brilliant majestic Creator of such amazing wonders knows, loves and cares about a wretched undeserving sinner like me. THANK YOU LORD JESUS, MY PRECIOUS GOD AND SAVIOR. 1st Peter 2:7a, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious...”

If we ask (pray) to the Lord, but then quit early on when God doesn't seem to answer, we are showing God our lack of trust in Him. Jesus exhorts all men to “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22b). Jesus is almighty God (John 10:33). Prayer does not work like an ATM machine friend, nor a coin operated vending machine. I have learned more times than not, that God answered my prayers in ways I couldn't see at the time. It wasn't until hindsight years or even decades later that I saw the hand of God at work in my youth or years earlier.

I refuse to wickedly place God on trial like the heathen world does, challenging His existence if the Lord doesn't answer their prayers to meet their demands. I trust in the Lord, period. So, if God never seems to answer any of my prayers, that is okay, because the inspired Word of God tells me that everything is still okay in my Father's House, where there is joy, joy, joy! I choose to have faith in the good and loving heart of God at all times, regardless of the circumstances. As a born-again, fundamentalist, Baptist, Bible preacher, I didn't get into the ministry for the INCOME, I became a Bible preacher for the OUTCOME! I've never received a single penny for serving God. My rewards are waiting for me in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).

In the 10 chapters of the Old Testament book of “Esther,” not once is “God” mentioned. Yet, we (the reader) beautifully see God's hand at work throughout the amazing true story. The characters involved in Esther couldn't see God's hand at work at the time, but we have the blessed privilege of seeing the whole picture in hindsight. The lesson is simply this—when you cannot see the HAND of God, trust the HEART of God!

Keep on praying and never stop, because God is pleased by our importunity. Don't ever forget this truth, which is exactly what Luke 18:1-8 is teaching. I am not saying that God might not answer your prayer right away. He may or may not. Or the Lord may answer you in a subtle way that you won't discern until a future time. The important thing is to simply TRUST GOD.