Don't Lose Heart

" And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1, ESV).

For reasons to obvious to write, I have been thinking about Luke 18:1-8. After telling the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, Jesus asks three questions: "Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night?," "Will he delay long over them?," and "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 8:7-8). Jesus is trying to get his disciples to understand is that our Heavenly Father is not like the unjust judge. There is a temptation on our parts to think of God as a cosmic killjoy (although it is an equally dangerous temptation to think of God as a cosmic genie). Two things I think we must firmly establish in our mind in regards to God, he is not unaware of our situation nor is he unconcerned. To state it positively, God is aware and he cares about what is happening to us.

For this reason, Jesus stated, "I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily" (Luke 18:8, ESV). God cares for his children. He is not a tyrant who is unmoved by our circumstances. We do not have to nag God to get what we want, but that doesn't mean that we do not have to persist in prayer. There is wisdom in his delay, even when we do not understand it. What Jesus would have us to do in response to a delayed answer to prayer is "to pray and not lose heart." He doesn't want us to just continue to pray, but to pray and not lose heart. He drives this point home by asking, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Friends, what do you do when it seems like the whole world is against you and heaven isn't listening? Do you pray harder? Do you devote more time to prayer? Or do you just give up?

The key is to remember who God really is. He is "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty . . ." (Ex. 34:6-7, ESV). His is "Our Father in Heaven" (Matt. 6:9). We must continue to remember who God really is. He is the One who created us, who redeemed us, who called us to himself, who gave us a new heart, and who has called us his children. For any one of these reasons, we should give him our undying trust, but he has given us all of these and many more.

I know at times is can be tough to pray and not lose heart. Some days are harder than others. But we have to keep asking ourselves, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?". Will he find faith in me? Then we need to look to the One who is working faith in us and say, "I believe, help my unbelief!" Don't lose heart, the Lord loves you and is faithful.