The Case for Persistent Perseverance

1001 Illustrations that Connect (Illustration 553: Opening a Bag of Prayers)

OPENING A BAG OF PRAYERS Bill Lacovara was fishing near Atlantic City, New Jersey, when he spotted a plastic bag floating in the water. Inside he found about 300 requests for prayer that had been mailed to a local pastor. Most of the letters were unopened. The pastor had died two years earlier, and authorities speculated that the letters had been dumped as garbage after his house was cleaned out. Some of the prayers were frivolous. “I’m still praying to hit the lottery—twice,” wrote one man. “First $50,000—then, after some changes have taken place—let me hit the millionaire.” Many of the letters were heartbreaking. They came from anguished spouses, children, and widows, all crying out to God. Some prayed for relatives who were using drugs, gambling, or cheating on them. One man wrote from prison, saying that he was innocent and wanted to be back home with his family. A teenager poured out her heart on yellow, lined paper, begging God to forgive her and asking for a second chance. “Lord, I know that I have had an abortion, and I killed one of your angels,” she wrote. “There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about the mistake I made.” Lacovara felt sad that so many prayers had been tossed away unheeded. “How many letters like this all over the world aren’t being opened or answered?” he wondered. “There are hundreds of lives here, a lot of struggle, washed up on the beach.” —Wayne Perry, Associated Press, “Letters to God End Up in Ocean, Unread” (November 3, 2006)

Have you been praying for someone or something for a long time—so long that the weight of it is beginning to show? Maybe it feels as though your knees are growing sore. Or, if you are anything like me and have knees issues, perhaps it is your back that aches instead.

You may have begun this journey of prayer with deep hope and expectation. You searched your heart, you were not clinging to any pet sin, and you were certain your need was the will of God. But as the weeks turned into months, and the months into years, it has become harder to keep praying with the same confidence. Now, the words may still come, yet your heart feels weary. If you are honest with yourself, perhaps you have started going through the motions and are quietly losing hope.

Maybe you have even filed this request in the category of unanswered prayers. And yet, despite your disappointment, the ache in your heart remains because the need is still ever-present.

In Luke 18:1–8, Jesus gives us powerful reasons not to give up. This passage encourages us to persevere in prayer, even when the answer seems delayed and our hearts grow tired.

Luke 18:1–8 CSB

1 Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect people. 3 And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, 5 yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out by her persistent coming.’ ” 6 Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them? 8 I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Affective (Sometime We Feel Unimportant)

Most stories and movies start off with introducing the audience to the protagonist or the hero of the story, but this parable is unique in that the scene opens with the villain of the story, an unjust judge. He’s a justice who cares nothing about justice. He has been entrusted with authority over dealing with all cases, especially cases that deal with the vulnerable.

He has been entrusted with the responsibility for rendering fair and impartial decisions. However, he is unjust because one, he doesn’t fear God. Any adjectives associated with God, such as compassion, love, consideration are foreign to him. Two, he doesn’t respect people. It doesn’t matter if you are rich and famous, if you are a person, he couldn’t care less. Life is all about number one.

My imaginations paints a dimly lit court room, with fearful-looking Roman centurions ready to pounce when called upon. The defendant standing before the judge is in tears because the judge has roughly told him “Your case is not important, leave or I’ll have you arrested.” I’m embellishing here, but you get the picture.

Now in comes of all people a widow! Of all people, a widow. Woman during the days of Christ lived on the earth derived their status, financial standing, safety and security from their husbands. Widows had no husbands, and unless they were wealthy, they had no prospects of being married again. Widows had no status in society. They were insignificant. They were just taking up space!

Now, who does the widow have to approach for justice? Which valiant champion will fight for her? The unjust judge who cares for no one but himself! Jesus has painted a very grim picture with his words.

The text tells us that she has come to the unjust judge crying, Luke 18:3

Luke 18:3 CSB

3 ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

Do you feel her desperation? Do you sense how hopeless this case is, coming to someone for help, for justice to someone who cares nothing about anyone or anything but himself. Someone who cares nothing about justice.

Perhaps you feel like this widow, like your prayers are not important. In the grand scheme of things there are babies, little boys and girls, innocent men and women being killed right now, in Nigeria, in DR Congo, in Iran, in Ukraine, in Haiti, in Palestine. How dare you bring your little request to God at this time.

Upon doing a little research I discovered Nigeria has a population of over 240 million, and over 7600 people are dying every day, one person every 11.3 seconds… gone. Count with me… Why would God care about your request, your illness, your financial struggles. That’s how it feels when our prayers go unanswered for years. We feel like the widow, insignificant.

Active (Pray always and Don’t Give Up)

There is something else unique about this parable. Normally parables will present the punchline at the end, or you are left to wrestle with the parable for a while to determine its meaning, but not this parable. The parable begins with the punchline. How does Luke 18 begin,

Luke 18:1 CSB

1 Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up.

Why does Jesus begin this way? Because he doesn’t want anyone to come away with any incorrect conclusions, our happiness is important to him. In the grand scheme of things, your prayer is important. Your need is important. The appeal is to keep praying and don’t give up.

Illustration about evangelistic series prayer room experience

There were wars taking place when I made that unspoken prayer, there was unrest and pain and suffering, yet God considered my “insignficant” need important enough to visit that little prayer room in Montreal, Quebec and impact my life in a profound way and change my perception of God, and He will do the same, and much more, for you.

Cognitive (God is Nothing Like the Unjust Judge)

Why should we not give up? What should inspire us not to give up, but persevere and trust?

In the parable, the unjust judge is being pestered by this widow. The day is winding down, the judge has one final case on the docket, and he asks, “Who’s next?” The court officer sheepishly responds “Ah, judge, it’s the widow, she’s back.” “Her again, you’ve got to be kidding me!” The judge discourages the widow and tells her, “There’s nothing I can do for you, scram!” But she keeps coming back, day after day, until finally we are told,

Luke 18:4–5 CSB

4 “Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, 5 yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out by her persistent coming.”

The judge didn’t give her justice because he cared; the story doesn’t tell us that his heart was touched and he finally gave in, no; it was because she was wearing him down, and remember, what was most important to him is himself. He caved and gave her justice because of self-interest. The woman appealed to what mattered most to the judge; she broke through on his soft spot, self.

Jesus often told parables related to true events, events that his audiences were familiar with. “Yes, I remember hearing about that. It’s remarkable that the mean-spirited, selfish judge actually gave her justice.”

Nevertheless, if you’ve been paying careful attention, I still have not addressed the question: why should we not lose heart and continue to pray?

In the parable, Jesus employed a rhetorical device well known in ancient Jewish education called “qal wahomer” (kal va-CHOH-mer) which can be understood as “from lighter to heavier.” His audience would have recognized what Jesus was doing, because rabbis used this type of reasoning. The reasoning employed in “qal wahomer” is “Even if this is true in the worst case, how much more is it true in the best case?”

What does this all mean? Let’s review Luke 18:6-7

Luke 18:6–7 CSB

6 Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them?

The worst case is, an unjust judge, who is full of himself, concludes that the best course of action is to grant the widow justice… drumroll… the best-case scenario is, God, who is nothing like the unjust judge, He is completely selfless and not selfish, He is caring, and not indifferent. How much more will He, God grant justice to his children.

Jesus was cried out, “You’re breaking the Father’s heart! Stop treating him like a cold, callous, indifferent, unjust judge!” When you lose heart, and give up, it’s as though you are said, “You do it for others, but you certainly won’t do it for me.” “Why did I bother praying all these years, I knew you were never going to answer!”

If you missed it, here’s the lighter to heavier reasoning: If an unjust, cold, conceited, indifferent judge would grant an insignificant person, a widow, justice, how much more will your heavenly Father grant you justice, how much more will He grant you healing, how much more grant you a life partner, how much more!

God is not reluctant. God is not cold. God does not need to be worn down in order to spring into action. God is not sitting in some cosmic courtroom, leaning back on his throne, unmoved, waiting for you to hound him enough that he finally sighs and gives you what you want. That is not God. That has never been God.

The light to heavier reasoning as again evident in this manner: if an unjust, cold, conceited, indifferent judge, knows, if the unjust judge knows about the incredible, loving, forgiving, ever-patient, magnanimous character of God...

Luke 18:7 CSB

7 Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them?

How much more, should you, after all God has done for you, is doing for you, how much more should you know the Father’s character!

Luke 18:8 CSB

8 I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Instead of giving up, pray in this manner, “Loving Father, I don’t understand why it appears like you are not answering my plea for help, but that’s just my pain talking. You have proved beyond any doubt that you care deeply for me by sending Jesus to die in my place. You’ve put a roof over my head, food on my table, you’ve surrounded me with friends and family... Father, give me the strength to keep on praying and honour You, because You’re worth it. My perspective is limited, I don’t know what’s really at stake in this whole thing, so, I’ll trust You. You know what ‘s best and have never and will never let me down.”

Stop breaking the Father’s heart!

George Müller’s Persistence

George Müller, a 19th-century pastor in Bristol, England who became renown for his life of prayer. He ran orphanages entirely on faith — no debt, no solicitation of funds — and God provided for thousands of children throughout his ministry. But what strikes me most is not the miraculous provision. It is this: George Müller began praying for the conversion of two of his closest friends. He prayed for them — specifically, by name, regularly, persistently — for over fifty years. One of those men accepted Jesus as his Saviour shortly before Müller died. The other, at Müller’s funeral, standing at the graveside of the man who had prayed for him for more than half a century.

End with 5 mins of group prayer