Persistent prayer - humble prayer - like a child.

Luke 18:1-17 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, ² saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. ³ There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ ⁴ For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; ⁷ now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

⁹ And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹⁵ And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷ Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

In today’s text, Jesus encourages His disciples and us to pray persistently. He uses the illustration of a woman who continually presents her case before a judge. The judge says:  “Even though I do not fear God nor respect man,  yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.”  Jesus says:  “Hear what the unrighteous judge said;  now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?      James 5:16 says:    The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.         Unlike the unrighteous judge however, it is not that our persistent prayers wear God down. It’s not that we convince God to give us what we ask for.  In Matthew 6:7-8, when Jesus taught His disciples to pray He said:       “when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”        So, we are encouraged to pray persistently and fervently but without many words. What then is availed by our persistent prayer? If God knows what we need and we cannot persuade Him or change His mind, what is changed by our persistent prayer?

Again in Matthew 6:9-10 Jesus says: In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Prayer does change things. Prayer is really a communication with God. Persistent prayer then is persistent communication with God. Communication involves both speaking and listening. If we are to pray persistently, yet not use many words, then we will persistently be listening to God. The thing that changes most when we pray persistently is us. As we communicate and commune with God, as we spend time with Him, as we do as the psalmist says and abide and dwell in His presence we receive His provision and His protection. The psalmist says: Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) Through our persistent prayer, our abiding in God’s presence our communicating and communing with Him, delighting in Him, our will becomes conformed to His. Our prayers become conformed to His will. We don’t change God’s mind. He changes ours. God knows what we need and He gives us what we need.

As the text continues, Jesus tells another parable about prayer. He compares the prayer of a self righteous Pharisee and a tax collector. Jesus says:    “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner! I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”       Let’s not mistake Jesus message in this parable. Many people read this and see it as a criticism of the religious and an exaltation and acceptance of a sinner. There are many who believe if Jesus were here today He would reject the church in favor of associating with sinners. It is not the Pharisee’s religious practice which Jesus condemns. Jesus Himself went to the temple and the synagogue. He observed the God’s and the Jewish traditions. What Jesus condemns in the Pharisee’s prayer is his boastful, proud attitude. By the same token, Jesus does not exalt the sinner for his sin. It is not that he is a sinner that justifies him. It is his recognition and his confession that he is a sinner, that he needs God’s grace and mercy. It is his heart of repentance which leads to his justification.

Whether we are in the church or have never attended a church, Romans 3:23 rightly says:  all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.     We all need a savior. John 3:16 says:   For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.     Whoever believes; both the tax collector and the Pharisee. Romans 10:9-13 says:     if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; ¹⁰ for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; ¹³ for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  

At the end of today’s text we see that there are people bringing babies and children to Jesus and the disciples try to stop them, thinking that Jesus would not have time for them. Children in the society and culture of Jesus day were not valued, they were to be seen and not heard, taught and trained but not worthy of the masters time. Jesus says:     “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”       What are the qualities of children that we are to possess to enter the kingdom of God? Children have a natural trust and faith to believe and receive what they are told and what they are given. Children respond to love by loving in return. They exemplify the truth of 1 John 4:19.     We love Him because He first loved us.     Children love without prejudice, they fulfill what Jesus says is the first and great commandment.  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Children copy and aspire to be like their parents.  Isn’t that what it really means to be Christ’s disciple? That we would aspire to be like Him, that we would humbly acknowledge our need of a savior and that we would persistently abide in His presence, delighting in God as He delights in us, His children.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You because You had mercy on me when I was a sinner and You loved me and called me. You drew me to Yourself and called me Your child, Your beloved. I believe and I receive all that You promise for me, all that I need. My desire is to persistently communicate with You, to abide and dwell in Your presence, that I might be changed, conformed into Your image and likeness, restored to Your plan and intention for me.   Amen.