And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:   And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.  And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.   And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?  (Luke 18: 1-8- KJV)

 

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?" ( Luke 18: 1-8-MSG)

 

I put the above scriptures in two different translations for clarity purposes as well as to inform us that Jesus was speaking in the original King James Version. These scriptures should speak volumes to us and encourage us to never stop praying no matter how long it may take to receive an answer. I remember in scripture where Daniel said the Lord heard the prayers of his people immediately however he was delayed by the prince of the kingdom of Persia for twenty-one days. Beloved, the enemy hates it when we consistently believe God will answer us and we refuse to stop praying. When our answers are delayed, it does not mean they are denied. Abraham and Sarah’s prayer was not answered for them to conceive a child for seventy-five years. Both David and Joseph’s prayers were twenty-two years according to the Bible scholars. We all know about the woman with the issue of blood, hers was twelve years and the man at the pool of Bethesda was thirty-eight years. Those are just some examples of how long Gods people waited; however, the prayers were answered.

 

Gods timing is perfect, and he will never leave us although the answer we receive may not be as expected. God knows what is best for us and when we can handle the blessing. Perhaps He is allowing us to build our faith during the waiting season.

 

Sometimes we think we need one thing when in reality we need another. There is always a way of escape nothing is too hard for our Master he holds all keys to every door and will open them when his timing is right, not ours. One of the most important things we can learn is to seek wisdom, learn to be steadfast, keep our faith, and remind ourselves of the word which is a lamp unto our feet and a light in every pathway. (emphasis added) Giving up is always easy and we may sometimes seek an easy way out, however, it may not be the way God has planned.

 

Let us change the way we pray from time to time, instead of our wills intervening why not ask the Father for his prefect will to be done, then be still and wait for his results and not our own. The world we live in is fast-paced and unfortunately, we ofttimes desire instant gratification. We should not be as the world but seek to be transformed each day in every area of our lives. It may not be easy; however, it is obtainable.

 

The above scripture tells us that the judge did not fear God and had no regard of man, however, he moved because of the widow’s persistence. What that tells me – we need to be more persistent than ever in these times we are facing simply because we never know when that stubborn person, place, or thing will have to move because of our praying.

 

Praying does, has, and will continue to change situations in our lives and God promises he will avenge us as we continue to cry out to him night and day. It may seem as though our prayers are going unanswered, and we may become weary, but we cannot give up; our answers are coming our way sooner than we think. So, keep praying, trusting, believing and expecting for our Savior to answer each prayer – just don’t stop praying.