"Faith in What We Don’t See"

Perserverance

Luke 18:1–8 MSG

Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, “There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me!’ “He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, ‘I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.’ ” Then the Master said, “Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”

Galatians 6:9 MSG

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.

Thomas- Doubted

By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That’s what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.

Perseverance. Action or condition of steadfastness. OT Israel waited generations for fulfillment of promises which many believers never lived to see (Heb 11:1, 13, 21, 22, 39).

The NT everywhere urges similar perseverance. Among several Greek expressions, the usual word, proskartereō, has the root meaning “to attend continually, adhere steadfastly”

CHAPTER 18 Lu 18:1–8. Parable of the Importunate Widow. 1. always—Compare Lu 18:7, “night and day.” faint—lose heart, or slacken. 2. feared not … neither regarded—defying the vengeance of God and despising the opinion of men. widow—weak, desolate, defenseless (1 Ti 5:5, which is taken from this). 3. came—kept coming. See Lu 18:5, “her continual coming.” Avenge me—that is, rid me of the oppression of. 5. continual coming—coming for ever. 6. the Lord—a name expressive of the authoritative style in which He interprets His own parable. 7. shall not God—not unjust, but the infinitely righteous Judge. avenge—redeem from oppression. his own elect—not like this widow, the object of indifference and contempt, but dear to Him as the apple of the eye (Zec 2:8). cry day and night—whose every cry enters into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (Jam 5:4), and how much more their incessant and persevering cries! bear long with them—rather, “in their case,” or “on their account” (as) Jam 5:7, “for it”), [Grotius, De Wette, &c.]. 8. speedily—as if pained at the long delay, impatient for the destined moment to interpose. (Compare Pr 29:1.) Nevertheless, &c.—that is, Yet ere the Son of man comes to redress the wrongs of His Church, so low will the hope of relief sink, through the length of the delay, that one will be fain to ask, Will He find any faith of a coming avenger left on the earth? From this we learn: (1) That the primary and historical reference of this parable is to the Church in its widowed, desolate, oppressed, defenseless condition during the present absence of her Lord in the heavens; (2) That in these circumstances importunate, persevering prayer for deliverance is the Church’s fitting exercise; (3) That notwithstanding every encouragement to this, so long will the answer be delayed, while the need of relief continues the same, and all hope of deliverance will have nearly died out, and “faith” of Christ’s coming scarcely to be found. But the application of the parable to prayer in general is so obvious as to have nearly hidden its more direct reference, and so precious that one cannot allow it to disappear in any public and historical interpretation.