Day 7

According to Luke 18:1-8, we are to always pray and not lose heart ("faint"). What was highlighted in today's message is that Jesus in telling this parable is not comparing but contrasting: 1. praying with losing heart, 2. the widow with God's chosen, and 3. the judge with our heavenly Father. Believers should always be praying. Praying needs to be as natural as breathing. This is in contrast to fainting or losing heart. We are not widows because we believe in the Son of God who saved us by giving his life up for us. We have repented of our sins and God has brought us into a right standing with Him through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. We are not without an advocate who continues to plead our case to a Righteous God. We have a heavenly Father who always gives good gifts to his children. The persistence of the widow is to be commended to obtain what is due to her but it is not the way we should be approaching our God. The means of getting God's attention is not annoyance or pestering or bribing. Persistence with self-control and patience is needed as we live a life of prayer. We are his children and as such we have direct access to the throne of grace where there is mercy as well. If we are living faithfully dependent on God we have nothing to fear. A persistent life of faith is what Jesus looks upon with favor. We should not give up when our faith is challenged - the answer is to pray more.