Learning to Pray

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. "There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.'

"For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" - Luke 18:1-8 (NASB)

During the final few days before Jesus entered into Jerusalem and prepared for His death and crucifixion, He made it a priority to prepare His disciples. We see in the Scriptural account how He took the time to explain what was going to happen to Him and what their response should be. Three times He told them about how he would be spit upon, mocked, scouraged, killed and three days later rise again (Mk 8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34). Yet, they did not understand what was about to happen.

Maybe it was because they could not comprehend it. Maybe it was because it was too painful and they simply denied it. Yet, none of these seem completely plausible. Luke answers our question. In Luke 18:34 he states that they did not understand because "the meaning of this statement was hidden from them." Still, Jesus found in necessary to teach them some very important principles on prayer to prepare them for this time. He knew that if they were going to remain faithful to Him through the difficult times ahead, they were going to have to go to God over and over again seeking strength and wisdom.

As He typically did, Jesus taught them the principles of prayer through a parable. He will use an analogy of a worthless judge to demonstrate through contradiction how God will listen to the prayers of the righteous. In the parable, the unrighteous judge, not desiring to help the widow because she is in need or feeling pity upon her nevertheless does help the woman just to get her to stop begging for help.

His motives were completely impure but he still made the right decision to help the woman in distress. The paradox should be obvious. If an unrighteous judge would be willing to do something kind to a widow how much more a righteous judge? How much more willing is a person who loves and cares for the widow going to do whatever possible to help? More still, how much more does God Himself desire and want to help you in your time of need if you would only turn to Him and ask?

Why did the unrighteous judge finally cave in? The woman was persistent. This teaches us about our own prayer life.

1. Pray constantly.

The woman continually went to the judge seeking help. She would not take no for answer. How often do we do this in our prayer life? If I desire for God to do something that is righteous and holy in my life how often do I pray for it? Will I ask Him for a week, a month, a year? How long will it take to demonstrate to God that our desire is for this to be accomplished? In the OT, people often fasted, prayed, and put on sackcloth and ashes to demonstrate their desire for an answer. Are you and I willing to fast and pray? To seek an answer in such a way that by our actions as well as words we demonstrate to God a desire for a response.

2. Pray consistently.

The woman's message didn’t change. She daily asked for the very same thing. It wasn’t as if she came to the judge asking for one thing and then when he said no she stated, "Well, o.k. can you give me this instead?" No. She asked consistently for the very same thing. Her petition did not change. Yet, sometimes ours does. We may ask God to give us a desire to hear His voice and understand it. Yet, when we don’t feel as if our answer has come we may lessen our request to simply hearing it one time or the answer to one question. When we ask God for the things we know He wants to give us, things that will draw us closer to Him and conform us more into the image of His Son, we can ask knowing that God wants to answer these requests. We need to understand that our timing is not always His and to pray consistently.

3. Pray confidently.

Finally, we need to see the confidence that this widow displayed. She knew that the judge was the only one who could give her the legal protection that she needed. She didn’t seek help from an attorney. She didn’t hire a bodygaurd. She sought legal protection from the one whom could provide it. We need to do the same. When we pray to God, we need to express to Him that our trust and dependence is completely upon Him. "I can't do it Lord. You alone are the only One who can help me." Such an attitude is an admittance of inferiority. It’s a humbling response. Its an honest response. God desires to know that you truly understand that when your prayer is answered it will not be because of anything you were able to accomplish but rather that He is the One who has provided the answer. He may use you or someone else in the process but Only God should rightfully receive the glory. He alone is capable of bringing about such a response.

4. Pray correctly.

Maybe the most important part of the parable is not only how the widow prayed but what she prayed for. She sought justice. She sought protection. Remember that these disciples are about to be placed into the most intense and confusing week of their lives. All will scatter. All will question their loyalty to Jesus and ultimately turn from Him at some point. Each will be faced with the same Adversary that we are faced with today.

Satan. The Bible uses a word for Satan called SANATAS. It is simply means "an adversary". It has the connotation of a legal prosecutor. Satan is the one who brings accusations upon God's chosen people. He continually seeks to accuse God's people as being false. They are liars. They don't live up to God's character. "They are not who they say they are" is his constant plea. Yet, it is Jesus who is our Defendant. He is the One who stands in as our representative. He has paid the price and we rest upon His character and not our own. Therefore, in this parable, Jesus is not only teaching his listeners how to pray but also showing what to pray. Just like the widow, they need to be reminded to pray for that which is most important. They need to pray correctly.

When we learn to pray constantly, consistently, confidently, and correctly we can be assured that God will not be slow in His response to us. In verse 7, Jesus stated that God will not "delay" in His answer to those who "cry to Him day and night".

The question is: "Do you pray in this same manner?"

Learn to pray in the same manner this widow sought justice. Learn to pray as Jesus taught us to pray.