Don't Lose Heart

1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ " 6 And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Luke 18:1-8 (ESV)

Jesus said that we should ALWAYS pray and NOT LOSE HEART. And to encourage us, he tells us of a wicked judge who had no reason to listen to a poor defenseless widow – he didn’t care what God or anyone thought. But this persistent widow keeps coming to him and crying out for justice. "For a while" he rebuffs her. But then he sees that this woman is not going to stop and that her "continual coming" will eventually wear him out. So he grants her requests.

The point of the parable is not that God is like this judge, uncaring and must be pestered into yielding. The point is that if even a wicked judge will respond to the pleas of a powerless widow who simply will not lose heart and give up but keeps coming to him, HOW MUCH MORE will God, who is sympathetic and caring about his blood-bought children hear our prayers! And not only will he hear our prayers, but he will not delay long in answering them. What may seem like a delay to us is not a delay from God’s perspective – in reality God answers us "speedily".

"8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:8-9 (ESV)

Just as a farmer must sow and fertilize and water then wait, then water again, then wait until eventually he reaps, so we must keep sowing prayers for Ian and not lose heart and give up.
IN DUE SEASON WE WILL REAP – IF we do not give up.

We want to see Ian healed now. But if he isn’t healed today or tomorrow or next week, let us "pray and not lose heart," and keep sowing, certain that "in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

-Mark