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Luke 18:1-8 (NIV)
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
I try to be strong and not give into my daughters’ persistent requests for candy, but sometimes I give in. I know that in the long run, it will not be good for them because they will learn that if they just ask enough times they will wear me down. Interestingly, Jesus says that we should pray to God with that type of (annoying) persistence. Hopefully, you are asking God far better things than mere cake and candy! But do you persistently, even annoyingly, ask God for the good things of justice, peace, joy, patience, kindness, and love? Why not? Persistent prayer is not about getting everything that you want in life. It is about you believing that God will give you the great gift of His love, grace, and mercy now and forever because of what Jesus has done on the cross.