Luke 18:1-8 — Please? Pretty Please? Pleeeeeaaaaseee?

READ THIS: Luke 18:1-8

1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 

4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” 

6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

Have you ever bugged someone so much or for so long that they HAD to say yes? This passage is kind of about that. In this parable, Jesus talks about an unjust judge that ultimately caves and allows a woman's plea to be accepted. It's pretty rare to find a parable where the meaning or explanation of it is before the passage, but this is one of those moments! Jesus says that this is like our own relationship with God, and it shows us that we should never stop praying!
 
But wait... that kind of makes God look like a bad guy, right? This is why verses 6-8 are so important! Jesus is saying that our God is just... in fact, there is no one as just as He is! So if an unjust judge will eventually give in to a plea, how much more will a God fight for us if we ask Him for things that are just?! Now, this doesn't mean that if we pray for something, no matter what, that God will give it to you. God cares about His people, and He cares about justice! If what we ask Him for is just and loving like He is, we can be confident He will answer it in His own way and in His own timing, even if it doesn't look like how we expect it to look.

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Have you ever seen God answer one of your prayers? How do you know it was Him at work?

2. Have you ever given up about praying for something? What made you stop?

TRY THIS:

Think about your answer to question number 2... Don't give up!!! Take some time right now to pray for that thing and trust that God is working in it!

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