Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
This parable of Christ teaches us the necessity of pressing our petitions to the throne of grace to obtain mercies of the Lord. It is a fact that in the life of each Christian there are times when the answers to our prayers come with the speed of lightening as is written in the Bible. Let's read:
Isaiah 65:24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
But there are other times when we need to wait for God to answer in His own time and way. In the example given by Christ in the book of Luke, the woman continued asking the Judge for the same thing over and over again until her requests were granted. This teaches us an important lesson in the Christian experience, that it's okay to ask God about the same issue over and over again, for He does not grow weary of hearing us. Sometimes we conclude that we have asked enough, or that we are becoming a burden to God, but this is never the case, for God delights to hear the voice of His people in earnest sincere prayer.
Furthermore, if God were to grant our requests right away every time we petitioned Him, then we would take for granted that He is obligated to answer in the positive, every time we ask. When upon mount Carmel Elijah prayed for fire to consume the sacrifice, God immediately answered, and the hosts of Israel were then led to again acknowledge God as their Sovereign. But soon after Elijah prayed for rain, and this time it took seven prayers pertaining to the same issue, before God granted his request.
These lessons are critically important for us living in the 21st century, for we often find ourselves in situations that drag on for months and even years, yet we should never grow weary of petitioning God, for if we persist we will reap in due season if we faint not.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture that encourages us to pray constantly about the problems and perplexities we face from day to day, and if we persevere, God will grant us the desire of our hearts according to His good will. Let's read:
Psalms 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
May we ever learn the importance and value of importunate prayer. "Good night" and God bless!