Luke 18:1, 7 (NKJV) Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to
pray and not lose heart … and shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?
In this passage of Luke, Christ teaches His disciples to pray persistently and be patient when we ask, even when God seemingly doesn’t answer us immediately. One of the greatest challenges to modern day believers is resilience and perseverance. In our age, we want everything now. Our familiarity with convenience makes us like spoiled brats: we complain, murmur, and act out of carnality when we do not get what we want immediately. However, God does not answer our every prayer right when we ask. Therefore, we should be patient in praying, knowing that God will answer us according to His timing and His way. Indeed, this will even help us build character—patience, meekness, and trust in God’s faithfulness.
In addition to being patient in prayer, we believers are to be persistent as well. Jesus illustrated this truth using the parable of the unjust judge and the widow.
Luke 18:2-5 (NKJV) saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’
We can see from the parable that even an unjust, ungodly judge or magistrate will eventually give in to our cries and pleas if we continue to ask. The judge probably gave no attention to the poor widow’s case because she could not give him anything in return; he would have more incentive to hear the cases of the wealthy and influential. Nonetheless, even this man gave in to the widow’s demands because of her persistence. If such an ungodly judge listened to the widow’s case, how much more will God—who is holy, compassionate, merciful, gracious beyond all measure, and is impartial to class or worldly status—hear our persistent prayers and supplications?
What caused the unjust judge to act was the widow’s insistency and persistency. She would not let the matter rest and wasn’t willing to give up until justice was done to her adversary, but kept demanding her rights and for her case to be heard. Likewise, God wants us to demand our rights, desire to see justice done to the evildoers, and for Him to act on the case by coming to Him through prayer. Don’t quit but pray until something happens!
Sermon Series： Do Not Lose Heart, But Always Pray Until Something Happens
恒久忍耐 恒切祷告
路加福音18:1,7 耶稣设一个比喻，是要人常常祷告，不可灰心 … 神的选民昼夜呼吁他，他纵然为他们忍了多时，岂不终久给他们伸冤吗？
在路加福音的这段经文中，基督教导祂的门徒要坚持不懈地祷告，当我们祈求时要有耐心，即使神似乎没有立即回应我们。现代信徒面临的最大挑战之一是韧性和忍耐。在我们这个时代，我们希望一切都能现在就实现。习惯了便利的我们像被娇惯的孩子：当我们不能立即得到想要的东西时，我们会抱怨、发牢骚和凭肉体行事。然而，神不会对我们的每一个祷告都作出即时的回应。因此，我们应该耐心祷告，相信神会按照他的时间和方式回应我们。事实上，这甚至会帮助我们塑造品格——耐心、温顺和信赖神的信实。
除了祷告要耐心，作为信徒的我们还要具备恒心。耶稣用不公正的法官和寡妇的寓言来说明这个真理。
路加福音18:2-5 说：“某城里有一个官，不惧怕神，也不尊重世人。那城里有个寡妇，常到他那里，说：‘我有一个对头，求你给我伸冤。’他多日不准。后来心里说：‘我虽不惧怕神，也不尊重世人；只因这寡妇烦扰我，我就给她伸冤吧，免得她常来缠磨我！’”
从这个比喻中我们可以看到，如果我们持续祈求，即使是不公正、不敬虔的法官或裁判官，最终也会屈服于我们的呼吁和恳求。法官可能不会关注这个穷寡妇的案子，因为她不能给他任何回报;他更愿意去听取富人和有权势的人的案件。尽管如此，由于寡妇的坚持，即使是这样一个人也屈服于她的要求。如果这样一个不敬虔的法官都听了寡妇的案子，那么神——圣洁、怜悯、仁慈、无比亲切、不偏爱阶级或世俗地位的神——岂不更会垂听我们坚持不懈的祷告和恳求吗？
促使不义法官为她采取行动的是寡妇的坚持和恒切。她决不善罢甘休，也不愿意放弃，而是一直主张她的权利，要求法官聆讯她的案子，直到她的仇敌被法办，正义得到伸张。同样，神希望我们主张我们的权利，渴望看到恶人被制裁，并通过祷告来到祂面前,寻求祂采取行动。不要放弃，只要祷告直到云开月明！
讲章系列： 不要灰心，总要祷告，直到发生改变
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