The Mustard Seed Mill

Luke 18 begins with a parable about the persistent widow. She came to the judge continually to seek justice from her adversary. The judge does not grant her wish right away, but after a period of time, he grants her request because he is ready for her to stop bothering him. Jesus uses this earthly example as a way to teach his disciples to be diligent in prayer.

What prayer that you have prayed comes to mind when you think about being diligent in prayer? 

How can we look to this parable to give us encouragement while we continue to pray? As we look, we’ll notice that there are some things we know about the widow in this parable and some things we do not know. 

First, we know that she endured an injustice. We know she went to the judge persistently. We know that the judge did not fear God or man. Ultimately, we find out that her persistence in petitioning the judge brought about justice for her and her adversary.

There are also some details Jesus doesn’t define in this parable. We don’t know what kind of injustice she was enduring. We don’t know how long she endured the injustice, how long she went to the judge or how long it took him to change his mind. We also aren’t told exactly what her struggles were while she waited for justice. 

In the coming weeks I want to discuss some biblical examples of others who were persistent in prayer, but for today, I want to really see what Jesus is sharing with this parable. 

When Jesus tells stories, shares parables, I think Jesus is just as intentional with what He does say as with what He doesn’t say. Jesus doesn’t tell us what kind of injustice she endured. He doesn’t leave room for us to relegate this parable to one specific circumstance. She could have been dealing with a number of different circumstances, but what we do know is that she consistently took her issue to the judge. 

We don’t know how long she endured the injustice. Truthfully, we can read that parable in a matter of a minute and lose sight of the thought that we really have no idea how long this widow could have been going to the judge. It could have been days, months, years…. What we do know, however, is what she did in the waiting. She was active. Her waiting time wasn’t spent sitting idly by. She was an active participant in seeking what she requested from the judge. 

We aren’t told what struggles she endured while she waited. Was the justice she sought from something that had happened long ago, or was the injustice ongoing? Was she enduring lack? Was she enduring pain? We don’t know what this woman was enduring, but we do know some things her persistence in petitioning the judge did bring her.

One thing we can pull from this parable is that in her persistence with the judge, she spent time with the judge. Now, this earthy judge finally gave her justice so that she would go away, but Jesus is not like that. Jesus says God will give justice to those who cry out to Him day and night, but He also asks the question: “when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” 

One thing we gain from persistence in prayer is time with God. Not time that will cause Him to send us away, like the earthly judge, but time that will allow Him to find faith in us. Time that He will use to transform our hearts and minds. Time that will allow us to do even more that we could ask or think. 

Sometimes we go to God in prayer with one petition, but there is so much more that God wants to do. He wants to fulfill more purpose in that petition than what we could see or imagine. As we petition God, let us be more like the persistent widow. She was actively going to the judge. He was aware of her. God is aware of you! Put your face before the Lord and make your petition known. In that waiting, let the Lord’s face shine on you. He longs to give you peace and work through your petition in ways unknown to us. 

One last thing about this parable: God is not like the earthly judge. God does care about men and He cares deeply about injustice and the things that concern us. Romans 8:26-28 remind us to pray in the Spirit because the Spirit Himself intercedes for us. I find it interesting that the instruction to pray in the Spirit in order to pray the will of God is presented just before Romans 8:28 which says:
“And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

God is not like the earthly judge. Not only does He care about the things that concern us, He is also an active participant. The Spirit intercedes for us! He partners with us! He also gives us reassurance that as we petition Him, we have hope. He will work all things together for good. 

God is active in the waiting.

Let us be active in the waiting.