The unjust judge didn't care less about anyone but himself, certainly he didn't care about the widow. This widow with an adversary taking advantage of her, or, at least, attempting to do so. This judge was 'forced' to deal justly, for once, on behalf of someone from whom he could gain nothing except to not be "bothered" or "worn out".
The Good News Bible (not that I'm a fan of this paraphrase), says, that that judge didn't want the widow to "wear him out". That phrasal verb, it explained in the footnotes of the SPM textbook, was taken from the boxing ring, of all things!
This borrowed expression intimates, "give a black eye". The NIV says the judge didn't want the widow to "attack' him. Isn't that hilarious!? The widow, who could barely help herself, attack him and give him a black eye!? What a laugh!
God has His wondrous ways of gaining justice for his people in the least expected of ways. The unjust judge's thoughts all mixed up and illogically concluded, were included in God's solution. So, even though he took his sweet time about it, the judge got the woman her rights.
What a wondrous, "happily ever after" story; my favorite kind...
Yet, what was Jesus' point? He was teaching His disciples to "always pray and not give up" ( v. 1); to be persistent. Often we may become skeptical when our prayers aren't answered as quickly as we'd like, or in the way we'd like (as one of my sisters reminded me). You see, with God, a day can be like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day, to Him.
From His perspective, a thousand years is "quickly," as compared to the vast unending, infinite "everlasting" past and future. It's like a drop of water dripped into a bucket of water, to us; it is insignificant. God's thoughts are always comprehensively and incomprehensibly BIGGER than ours. However, He is always just. We need to be persistent and patient for his timing which is always, "just right".
In addition, I want to interject here that I once read somewhere from one of the many plethora of books read over the years, that "prayers never die". That thought never left me even though I forget from which book I read it. It is encouraging especially when we get discouraged when we perceive our prayers are being "ignored".
"Hello, God, are You there?"
There was a story of a woman who prayed for her son to come to Christ. She persisted in this prayer and hope for about twenty years. The son persisted in rejecting Christ. By and by, the mother passed away but her prayer lingered on. Somehow or another, that son did eventually accept Jesus as His Savior. That prayer was answered and in time to come, that woman will be reunited with her son. What a glorious day that will be.
If you flip back to Luke 11, there is something more about prayer that Jesus taught His disciples. He also tells the story of the man rapping persistently on his neighbor's door in the middle of the night. How annoying and seemingly inconsiderate! It worked and he was granted his request from the neighbor albeit somewhat begrudgingly, which is understandable.
However, we too, can learn to be so unashamed in our prayers. The man was also expectant that the neighbor would give in, get up and give him the food begged for. Sure enough, he did. So, too, our God doesn't delay His support. We can count on Him because He has our backs.
Loyalty to God our Heavenly Father is a needed "ingredient". We ought "always to pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1) When it seems like answers are not forth-coming, let us pray on to Him, this God, our Maker. Don't go and pray to other gods. Don't give up on our God.
Faith, Loyalty's twin, will help propel us to persistence and perseverance in prayer. Faith, even as small as a mustard seed, can sprout amazing happenings. "Father, God, stretch our faith."
Scary prayer. If God stretches our faith, the stretches between prayer uttered and answered may be protracted. Will you persist? This is a "vicious cycle" that's not vicious. Faith building times. Pray expectantly utilizing our faith and loyalty to God our Father.
Pray with reverence. This is God, Almighty we speak to, "Hallowed be His Name". We are His creatures. He is our Father. Due respect and reverence is owed to Him.
I'm not so sure the widow revered the unjust judge, but she may have showed him respect due to his position in relation to hers. She would certainly have had to be humble about it. If she had to go to him repeatedly, she'd also need to have been unashamed. She was already looked down upon, yet because she knew she had the law on her side, she went with the appropriate posture and with expectant hope of gaining her goal; justice served.
God, our righteous Judge will do so much more for us than that unjust fellow. Trust God. Be loyal to Him. Be persistent, unashamed, humble and reverent. He will answer, "quickly".
Some may have some concerns they have given up on. Why not resurrect them and "try again" with the attitude of the "helpless" widow. We don't have anything to lose and everything to gain. Ask according to His will.
Maybe it's even an idea to re-examine our desires. Are they what God would approve of? Maybe the request needs altering. Maybe we just need to persist longer.
Psalm 66:18-20 (NIV) tie into these thoughts,
"If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to god, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!"
A prayer journal could increase You faith, you know. List down your requests and petitions and put the date beside each one. Over time go back and see which ones and how they have been answered. You will be pleasantly, surprised, no doubt. When we have such an account we will be encouraged and and our faith will leap in a growth spurt. Our trust in God our Heavenly Father, Provider, Protector will be further cemented. May our helplessness transform into hopefulness by persistence in prayer and trust in God.
Keep calm and pray on.
~ERC June 2020~
Based on Luke 18:1-8.
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