Be Persistent
Apr 15 2025 - Eric Buresh
Jesus, the great Shepherd of souls, gave us a parable in Luke 18:1-8 that gives us one of the grandest lessons in the school of faith—namely, that we must pray persistently and never lose heart. He tells of a widow, helpless in the world’s eyes, who pleaded day and night with an unjust judge. She had no money to bribe him, no power to compel him, no friend to advocate her cause. Yet by persistence alone, she moved the heart of this wicked magistrate, until at last he granted her request—not out of righteousness, but out of weariness!
And our Lord says, “Shall not God avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?” (v. 7). Here is the encouragement: If even an unrighteous judge will grant justice to persistent pleading, how much more will our righteous and loving Father hear the persistent cries of His children!
Yet, we should not misunderstand our Lord’s meaning. The lesson is not that we must persist in prayer to change God’s will, as though we might batter down the doors of heaven through sheer effort. No! Prayer is not the art of overcoming God’s reluctance, but of laying hold of His willingness to always do us good. The widow’s persistence won her case, but our persistence in prayer is not meant to force God’s hand—it is meant to strengthen our dependent faith in His good and perfect will.
The widow came seeking justice. She knew exactly what she wanted. But we often do not even know how to pray as we ought! We cry out for deliverance, when the Lord knows endurance will do us more good. We plead for comfort, when God knows affliction will make us more Christlike. We beg for temporary relief, when the Lord in His mercy intends to give us something far greater than we have imagined.
The promise of prayer is not that we shall receive whatever we demand, but that God will give us what is truly good for us. The Apostle John tells us, “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14, NKJV). This is our confidence—not that He will do our bidding, but that He will do what is right and best in His perfect wisdom. Was this not the spirit of our Lord’s own prayer? In Gethsemane, He cried out, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). He persisted in prayer, yet He surrendered to the Father’s perfect wisdom. Will we, then, demand what we think is best? Or will we, like our Lord, persist in prayer while resting in the will of our Father?
Jesus ends this parable with a solemn question: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (v. 8). What is this faith? It is the faith that prays persistently, not to force God’s hand, but to trust in His goodness. It is the faith that waits upon the Lord, knowing He will do what is right. It is the faith that does not demand immediate answers, but rests in the sure knowledge that God is faithful to His promises. Too many give up too soon! Too many cease to pray because they do not quickly get their way! Do not let this be true of you. Pray on! Pray when the answer tarries. Pray when the burden grows heavy. Pray when the night seems long and pray when the morning is nowhere in sight. For the Lord hears every cry, stores up every tear, and answers every prayer—though not always as we expect, yet always as is good and best.