The Persistent Widow

Since coming to college, I have been learning a lot about God’s character and power. My beliefs have been challenged, and I’ve been forced to really examine what Scripture says about God. Growing up, I went to a church that didn’t talk about the power of the Spirit very much. We would acknowledge the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity, but no one really mentioned how the Spirit was working in their lives. Once I got to college, however, I was able to not only hear others talk about the Spirit, but I was able to see the Spirit at work in their lives. It completely transformed the way I view the Holy Spirit! It is just as powerful and essential as the other two members of the Trinity!

In the past few weeks, I have been experiencing the Holy Spirit more than ever before. It has been such an amazing way to experience God. I have been able to learn so much about God’s character because His Spirit has enabled me. Not only have I been able to see God’s character clearly displayed through out Scripture, I have been able to experience Scripture and see its truths clearly displayed in life. It has been so amazing.

One passage that particular resonates with me is Luke 18:1-8. In this passage, Jesus tells a parable about a persistent widow. The first verse says that Jesus “told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). This widow petitions a judge day and night for justice, and eventually he gives in. Jesus points out that if an unrighteous judge can distribute justice, then God certainly will give justice to those who “cry to him day and night” (Luke 18:6). This parable really hit home with me. I have really felt a burden to pray for the hockey team recently, and for one player in particular. And when I say that I have felt a burden to pray, I mean that some nights, I can’t sleep because I keep waking up, praying that these men will be led to salvation. They are constantly in my prayers. I can almost tangibly feel the Spirit groaning within me, besieging the Father to save these guys! (Romans 8:26) I’m humbly learning to pray with out ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and it is such an awesome (and difficult) lesson.

But I am SO grateful that God has given me this burden! I am so unworthy to be praying for someone to be saved, yet he has enabled me to identify with the persistent widow that he mentions in this parable! What a blessing! God really does spoil me. I pray that God would answer my prayer, that he would hear me crying out to him day and night, like the widow. However, one thing was particularly challenging for me with this passage: the widow was crying out for justice; I was crying out for mercy. Can the two be interchangeable?

After struggling with this passage for almost a week now, I suddenly realized the obvious a few days ago. I was reading through the parable again, and stopped at the first verse. That was the key! The first verse says that Jesus “told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1) DUH. The point of the parable was not to only seek justice, and pray about only that continually. Jesus gives us the purpose before he even gives us the parable! The point was to pray continually, and not lose heart. Pray for ANYTHING. But he wants us to be in constant communication with Him! That is the most important thing. He isn’t guaranteeing that He is going to answer my prayers if I bother Him about it enough. He promises to listen to me when I am so passionate about something that it is all I can talk about, when I CRY OUT to Him DAY and NIGHT. He wants us to pray boldly, and to believe in Him, to know that He is faithful and that He hears our cries. So we must not lose heart. We must trust that God is looking out for our best interests (Romans 8:28). He is sovereign. But He graciously allows us to participate in His plan by praying for someone. How great is that?!