Persistent

I was rereading the following a few days ago and could not help but share.

“In a certain town, there was a civil judge, a thick-skinned and godless man who had no fear of others’ opinions. And there was a poor widow in that town who kept pleading with the judge, ‘Grant me justice and protect me against my oppressor!’
“He ignored her pleas for quite some time, but she kept asking. Eventually, he said to himself, ‘This widow keeps annoying me, demanding her rights, and I’m tired of listening to her. Even though I’m not a religious man and don’t care about the opinions of others, I’ll just get her off my back by answering her claims for justice and I’ll rule in her favor. Then she’ll leave me alone.’”
The Lord continued, “Did you hear what the ungodly judge said—that he would answer her persistent request? Don’t you know that God, the true judge, will grant justice to all of his chosen ones who cry out to him night and day? He will pour out his Spirit upon them.[a] He will not delay to answer you and give you what you ask for. God will give swift justice to those who don’t give up. So be ever praying, ever expecting, just like the widow was with the judge. Yet when the Son of Man comes back, will he find this kind of persistent faithfulness in his people?”

You can find this excerpt in Luke 18:1-8. I am not sure what stood out to you but several things were so powerful.

1. Don’t give up! I love how the widow continued to show up before the judge seeking justice in her situation. It is a fact, we all have a circumstance or two in our lives that could use persistent pursuit.

2. God is always listening to you. You are so important to him. Don’t believe the lie that God doesn’t have time for you. He does! Yeah, Kim, why haven’t some of my prayers been answered. I honestly don’t have the answers. I, too, have a list of requests that I haven’t seen the answer yet. For me, the key word is yet. I believe there are several factors involved in the answer. One of which is God’s love for us. It is so rich and so great. God cares about who we are on the inside. Look at this woman, what did Jesus want us to see from this story? The widows’ persistent pursuit of justice caused the rule to go in her favor. God desires for our character to grow, our faith to expand, and our confidence in Him to be unwavering.

3. Keep praying. Prayer is not a religious act. Prayer is a conversation with God. So many see God as someone distant and impersonal. He is not. The Lord is a father to us, talk to him! He is all about a relationship. Don’t forget to listen. He is speaking.

4. Expect results.

5. God gives justice to those who don’t give up. I am guilty of giving up or giving in. Could it be that if I had kept up the fight I would have won? Could it be that our heavenly Father is training us to stay in the fight, growing our confidence in his promises, raising up a people who will move forward no matter the circumstances because we believe His Word over what we see, knowing the victory is on its way?

6. Jesus wraps up this story with a question. Yet when the Son of Man comes back, will he find this kind of persistent faithfulness in his people?” This challenges me to look inward. I am moved to compare my life with that of the widow. Am I persistently pursuing the promises of God in my life? Am I actively searching out what those are and using the tools God gave me to advance?

I want to be like the widow who seeks out justice and finds victory. I want God to look down and see me pursuing his story for my life with passion. With God on my side, l will see the victories. I know I will as I pursue the one who won those all for me.

Will you join me?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Christopher Burns on Unsplash