At various occasions Jesus taught His disciples how to pray and the importance of prayer. In Matthew 6: 5-8 he says, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen…” In Matthew 6: 9-13 He taught that we have a Father in Heaven. In Luke 18: 9-14 He taught us the attitude to adopt when we go to God in prayer. In whatever form of prayer, we are engaged (adoration, praise and worship, petition prayers, thanksgiving) let’s remember that it’s all about being in relation with God.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ teaching is focused on the need for us to persevere in prayer. He does so by narrating a parable: “There is a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, “Render a just decision for me against my adversary.” At the end of the parable Jesus said to his disciples: “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.”
Let’s Pay Attention to the Attitude of This Dishonest Judge
His character is quite strange because he neither feared God nor had respect for any human. He could be likened to a tyrant. Faced with the insistence of this widow, this judge says to himself: “I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally comes and strikes me.” He responds to the demand of this widow simply out of fear and to avoid her disturbance. Jesus concluded the parable by a question and an answer: “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to Him day and night? Will He be slow to answer them? I tell you; He will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. This is so comforting for us to have this assurance: that God will answer our prayers speedily!
Acknowledging Our Human Frailty
Jesus used the image of a widow to illustrate the nature of our relationship with God. In the time of Jesus, widows (and even in some societies today) were among the most vulnerable; sometimes they suffer humiliation and persecution. Persevering in prayer like this widow means acknowledging before God our vulnerability, our sufferings, our need to be saved. Proverb 3: 5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Our ability to persevere in prayer is sometimes challenged by lack of good time management, being overwhelmed by daily activities, undergoing a desert experience or the temptation to give up. Jesus assured us that God will answer us speedily! We believe that His word is truth and eternal. It’s important to accept that His own time and will are the best.
Allowing His Spirit to Pray in Us
Persevering in prayer becomes possible when we allow the Spirit of God to pray in us. Galatians 6: 4 says, “And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out “Abba Father”. Indeed, the Spirit of God knows our real needs and how to present them to God. In the same way, Romans 8:26 says, “…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.” If our prayers are not always answered it could be that what we are asking God is not what He wants for us. Garth Brooks, in one popular song, talks about unanswered prayers. It is obvious that one day, we will thank God for unanswered prayers.
Living a life of faith is not possible without perseverance and there is no way we can persevere in faith without life of prayer. These three realities are closely related. We need to always remember that God really loves us and cares for us as His Sons and Daughters. So let us not be tired of dialoging with Him in the silence of our heart.
This was such a beautiful message. It spoke to my heart. ❤