Daily Devotional for Monday, April 13
Parable of the Widow and the Judge
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint
One of my boys has the gift of persistence. He does not get frustrated easily but has the endurance to push through. When he wants something or has an idea, he applies this endurance. Over the years, he has persistently asked for various things. He is wise beyond his years, and he applies that wisdom strategically to present his request in a mature way. Even when I am not really in favor of what he is asking, his resolve is noteworthy. He can boil his request down to a manageable, bite-size compromise in such a way that his request becomes doable. I am trusting the Lord will use that one day for kingdom tasks!
In Luke 18, Jesus gave His disciples an example of praying without losing heart. He had already taught them to ask, seek, and knock in the story of the persistent friend (Luke 11:5-10). Persistence in prayer is still the topic of this parable, but Jesus brought the unjust judge into the spotlight.
In pairing an unjust judge who does not fear God with a widow, we automatically know something of the outcome. God’s deep love and concern for widows and children make them the victors of any story. God will not tolerate injustice, neglect or abuse toward them. The widow was repeatedly dismissed by the powerful judge. She longed and begged for justice from the only person who could do something about it, yet, the one entrusted with justice was being unjust. Her persistence whittled down his obstinance.
Jesus compared the judge to Jehovah Judge. God gives justice to His people, and He does not delay or make us grovel or dismiss us. He does want us to turn to the only One who can do something about our situation and ask of Him. He is faithful.
Jesus finished with a loaded question: “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).
QUESTION
Will He find faith in you?
Kelli Reynolds