Luke 18:1-8 (NRSV)
Read Luke 18:1-8 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 18Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. Verse 2He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. Verse 3In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' Verse 4For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, Verse 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'" Verse 6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. Verse 7And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? Verse 8I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Devotion
Jesus begins this parable speaking of the woman’s persistence and the unjust judge’s resulting acquiescence to her request. Then turns the story toward the hearers, advising us to “not lose heart.” First, Jesus assures us that God is a just judge. Then Jesus asks a question that only we can answer. “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Through our unceasing prayer and supplication and through our actions in how we live our lives, we are responding to Jesus’ question. We live out our faith and trust. This is a trust based on the foundations of our faith—our experiences of faith, the witness of all the saints among us and who have gone before us, and God’s promise that he is with us always. In these we find our strength and hope.
Prayer
God of mercy, faithfully persistent in hearing our petitions and praise, our strength and hope is in you. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.