“…For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

Like 18:4-5

Full text: Luke 18:1-8

In this parable of the persistent widow, Jesus showed His Disciples that failure to persevere is the most common problem in prayer.

We often begin to pray for something, for a day, a week, or even a month. But then if we have not received a definite answer, we give up and stop praying about it altogether.

So the question is, How long should we pray? When do we leave the matter in ‘God’s hands?’

We must pray until what we are praying for has been accomplished, or until we have complete assurance in our hearts that it will be accomplished.

Only when one of these two conditions has been met is it safe to stop persisting in prayer. Because prayer not only is calling upon God, it is also a battle with Satan.

We dare not stop praying until either the answer itself has come or we receive assurance it will come.

Let’s us pray that through the practice of prayer we will develop the patience to wait on God’s promise until He meets us at the point of our need. Amen.