Don’t Give Up!

God knows that there are days when we feel like giving up on prayer. Maybe we think there are bigger problems in the world, or we feel that God isn’t interested. Yet, instead of just admonishing us to pray more, Jesus told a story about a widow and a judge. There aren’t many details about the widow, but I imagine she wasn’t politically connected or rich. We aren’t told exactly what the issue was, but we know she had a conflict with someone and went to the judge for help.

Initially, the unjust judge refused to help her, but she didn’t give up. Instead, she kept going to him. I picture her walking to the judge’s house day after day, knocking on the door, and him muttering, “Oh no! Not her again!” Maybe her persistence did annoy him, but all she wanted was for the judge to do his job. Finally, he granted her justice. I can see him throwing his hands up and saying, “All right! I’ll do it! Just please leave me alone!”

Jesus ended the parable by reminding us that God is not even a little bit like that judge. God wants to hear from us. Our Creator loves us and wants the best for us. And because God is so good, we should never give up on praying. God is listening, and if we keep on praying and believing, we can trust that God will answer.