What Kind of Praying Gets the Ear of God?

Jesus taught about effective prayer by sharing a parable involving a judge and a desperate widow. The judge had no relationship with God and did not fear being judged for his actions; he cared little for God or people (v. 4) and showed a lack of respect for those he was appointed to judge. Below are Christ’s words:

1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And 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 about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' " 6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I 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?" (Luke 18:1-8).

Perhaps this official was a judge in the region where Jesus spoke these words, appointed by Herod or the Romans, or he may have been a typical example of a tyrannical judge from Jesus’ time. This judge’s position afforded him the freedom to pursue his own agenda as he saw fit.

The Lord then spoke of a poor, helpless widow in a desperate situation with no family to help her. We are not told how she was cheated, but the judge was undoubtedly on her opponent's side, as the widow had no resources to pursue her claim. Her only option was to utilize the one thing at her disposal—persistence. Her constant pleading and begging were her only hope of obtaining the justice she deserved. Verse 3 says that she "kept coming." She would not be beaten down by continual refusals and rejections. I picture her coming to the courthouse in the morning and evening. Every time the magistrate went out to market, she followed him around, persistently arguing her case. Her heartfelt passion began to spark conversation, with people wondering among themselves if the judge had unjustly taken the side of the other party. I'm sure she embarrassed him as people learned of her plight. Finally, the unjust judge gave in to her, not due to the strength of her cause, but because she kept bothering him. Her patient persistence wore him out!

In verse 5, Jesus describes the effect of the widow’s appeal on the judge's thoughts using the Greek word “hypōpiazē,” translated into English as "wear me out,” but it literally means "to give a black eye." The widow was figuratively beating him up, not physically, with her insistent passion and pleading words. The same term is used by Paul the Apostle to describe his habits of personal discipline: “but I pommel (hypōpiazē) my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). It may be that the unjust judge thought she might give him a black eye! More likely, though, his reputation was being battered, taking a black eye. It could also symbolize his losing sleep over it. He was exhausted, and it was easier to agree to her plea.

This judge sharply contrasts with the Holy God we serve. Jesus's application is that if this unjust judge yields to persistent asking, how much more will the Judge of all the earth render justice quickly?

When Edmund Gravely died at the controls of his small plane while flying from the Rocky Mount-Wilson Airport in North Carolina to Statesboro, Georgia, his wife, Janice, kept the plane in the air for two hours. As the aircraft crossed the South Carolina/North Carolina border, she radioed for help: "Help, help, won't someone help me? My pilot is unconscious." Authorities who picked up her distress signal could not contact her by radio during the flight because she kept changing channels. Eventually, Mrs. Gravely made a rough landing and crawled for forty-five minutes to reach a farmhouse for help. God's people often cry out to Him for assistance, but switch channels before His message comes through. They turn to other sources for help, seeking guidance from people rather than God. When you ask God for His intervention, persist in prayer, and don't switch channels![1] Await His answer and keep looking to Him. Keith Thomas

This meditation is a shortened version of the Parable of the Persistent Widow, found in the series called, The Parables of Jesus.

[1] Edited by Michael Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, Published by Baker Book House, Page 279.