Luke 18:1-8 "How To Pray"
There’s a scene that happens in so many movies and TV shows. Things get as bad as they’re going to get—it looks like the end of the world— and the main character, in complete desperation, as a last-ditch effort, says something like, “God, I know we don’t talk much but if you’re out there, I hope you’re listening, I could really use your help right now.”
I really hate that scene. Macho, cowboy, too cool for Jesus prayers.
Because then that’s how people think they’re supposed to pray. Reluctantly. Only when they’ve tried everything else. As if they almost don’t believe. As if it probably wouldn’t do any good anyway.
Too many people think there might be a God but they’re about as likely to talk to Him as they are to call the governor or the president—or the King of England. They pretty much think prayer’s about as meaningful as writing a letter to Santa.
There are plenty of things in all our lives that aren’t going the way we’d like them to. Plenty of things in the world that are not good—things that need to be fixed.
What if Jesus means it when He said, “Ask and you shall receive?” What if the Book of James is right when it says, “You have not because you ask not?”
What if God isn’t going to do anything until He’s asked. Until you ask?
Today Jesus is talking about prayer in the Gospel of Luke. When we come to God’s Word, we bring all of our little opinions and mishmash of theological ideas—we hold them loosely in our hands and ask God to smash them with His Truth. Every time we open the Bible, we look to be corrected and redirected and challenged—and comforted and given true hope. That’s what we’re doing here.
Let’s bring our ideas about prayer to God’s Word today with the expectation that some of those ideas need to be shattered and reshaped by Jesus.
We’re going through the Gospel of Luke line by line. Today we start chapter 18…
VERSE 1:
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. Luke 18:1
We’re not always told up front what the parable is going to be about. This time it’s perfectly clear what the point is going to be—no matter how confusing the story might get, this is the point. If you say you believe in Jesus there are two things you ought to do: Pray. How often? Always. Also, no matter what life throws at you, don’t lose heart. Don’t become discouraged. Don’t give up. What Jesus has started in you, He will see it through. He will fight for you. It’s all on Him. His reputation is on the line. That’s going to be one of the big ideas of this parable.
What’s a parable? Sometimes we need to be reminded of what the basic vocabulary of Christianity means. Jesus taught using parables. Short made-up stories that illustrate an important truth about the kingdom of God. A parable is a story that compares a big spiritual idea to something common and easier to understand.
So, today Jesus is talking about prayer and encouragement. This is the parable…
VERSE 2:
He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” Luke 18:2-5
Two people on opposite ends of the social spectrum. A judge, a man with power and wealth. And a woman whose husband had died, leaving her vulnerable, poor, and powerless. But the widow was persistent, she was not going to lose heart. Someone had taken advantage of her and she wanted justice. Maybe she wanted her property back or someone was trying to take something from her—in any case, she wasn’t giving up.
We don’t know anything else about her character but we are told some pretty nasty things about the judge. He “neither feared God nor respected man.” He wasn’t interested in doing the right thing. Taking care of orphans and widows is the bare minimum of what it means to do what God wants us to do. It’s shorthand for being faithful to God’s commandments. In Deuteronomy it says God wants us to, “Execute justice for the fatherless and the widow.” (Deuteronomy 10:18) And the New Testament book of James repeats the idea, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” This judge was not doing his job—he didn’t care what God said and he had no compassion for people. I think we all know a lot of people like that these days—the world is always full of selfish, godless people.
So the judge refused to help the widow for a while but then he had a change of heart. What changed his mind? It’s very interesting. She just wore him down. She kept coming back, day after day, bugging him until she got what she wanted.
It’s not just that he was annoyed though. He didn’t care about God and didn’t have any respect for people but he did care about himself and his reputation.
The phrase “so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming” in the original Greek literally says, “so she will not hit me under the eye—give me a black eye” by her constant complaining. He was either afraid she was going to punch him in the face, or (like we still use the phrase) he was afraid she was going to give his reputation a “black eye.”
So he caved—gave her what she wanted.
Keep in mind, this is supposed to teach us something about prayer and not losing heart. What do you think the lesson is going to be?
VERSE 6:
And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:6-8
So, in this parable, the wicked judge represents God. The widow represents us.
The fact that the judge is evil and God is not is the whole point. If a selfish, heartless man can eventually be persuaded to do the right thing by an annoying old lady—how much more is a loving and merciful God going to listen to the people He has chosen to be His children when we cry out to Him?
For justice. We tend to think of justice as punishment—revenge. The Biblical idea of justice is to make things right. Right with God, right with each other. Everything wrong with the world is crying out for justice—to be made right. For all of us, who are supposed to live in daily repentance, the first thing we need from God is mercy. We need to be justified—we need to be made right with God through Jesus. We need to pray that God will forgive us. God promises to never refuse us when we ask for mercy—He will always forgive. And then, we need to offer other people the same forgiveness we’ve been given.
We can pray for things to be made right without making it about revenge.
So, the widow kept bugging the judge until she got what she wanted. It took a while. Jesus says that’s how we should pray, too. Persistent. Annoying. Pray like you can change God’s mind.
God doesn’t really change. That’s one of the things about being God. He wants us to pray like we can change His mind anyway.
Sometimes we let our theology get in the way of praying. Like, “If God already knows what I need, what’s the point of me praying?” Yes, God is omniscient and omnipotent—He is God—He knows everything and is all-powerful. If you think, for some reason, that means you don’t need to pray for what’s bugging you—maybe you should apply your amazing theology to yourself. He seems to know it’s important for you to go ahead and pray anyway—and not lose heart.
I think refusing to pray is a lot like losing heart. Giving up. Pretty much the whole point of this parable is to beat that idea out of our head. When something is wrong in your life, Jesus says to pray like an annoying old woman. Pray like a woman who lost her husband, has a “Live, Laugh, Love” haircut, and isn’t going to back down until she talks to the manager—not even then.
Jesus says God isn’t a grumpy old judge. He says God will respond “speedily.”
I’ll come back to that “speedily” part but first, let’s look at that last line.
Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Where did that come from? All of a sudden it seems like Jesus is in a mood—like He’s the one losing heart. But that’s not what’s happening here.
Last week was all about the second coming of Christ. The Pharisees wanted to know when the kingdom of God was coming—Jesus said first of all, it’s already here. When Jesus came the first time He brought the kingdom of God with Him. They didn’t recognize He was the Messiah but the kingdom of God was already in their midst. Then He switched gears and said, “But when I come back next time there won’t be any mistaking it—no one’s going to miss it.” Stay ready.
This teaching on prayer isn’t really changing the subject. Prayer is one of the ways followers of Jesus are going to stay ready.
One time I was driving in a rainstorm through St Louis. I took the exit to get on 55 North and the car started sliding. There was a lot of traffic, everyone was going too fast—I said, “Oh Jesus, come on, help me here!” Or something like that.
We didn’t wreck but the real miracle was that I didn’t say the kinds of things that get bleeped or are represented by the top-row characters on a keyboard. Once we were safely going down the road, I remember thinking, “Hmm. When I was in trouble, my first thought was to pray rather than string together a panicked assortment of four-letter words. That seems like progress.” Let’s not pretend like I’ve had a perfect track record ever since but I was a little encouraged in my sanctification that day.
When the Son of Man comes, when Jesus returns in power and glory—with thunder and lightning that lights up and shakes the whole earth—will He find faith? Will He find anyone expecting Him? Or is everyone in the world going to fill their pants and say bad words followed by exclamation points?
Prayer is faith practice. It might be a measure of our faith to consider how long it is between something going wrong and how quick we are to pray about it.
When Jesus comes back, will He find faith on the earth? It’s a “yes or no” question. Some people think the implied answer is “no.” I don’t think so but I do think it’s meant to be a challenge. He wants to find us praying when He returns—that’s a sure sign of faith.
Based on how much you pray, what are the chances of that happening?
Why don’t we pray more? What stops us?
It’s either going to be a lack of faith or bad faith.
We either don’t think there’s any point in praying because God’s not going to do anything about it anyway. Either because He can’t or He won’t. He’s either too weak or He doesn’t care. Or there is no God.
What other reason could there be? Jesus told you to pray, so if you don’t, why not?
I want you to think about that.
Here’s some random thoughts about prayer:
People say prayer is powerful. They say, “I believe in the power of prayer!” I don’t know what that means. That would be like a little girl who felt safe walking in the woods because her big, strong dad was with her and if she got in trouble all she has to do is say, “Help me, Daddy!” Should she believe in the words “Help me, Daddy!” Or her ability to say it? Is that the lesson she should learn? How safe is she if she decides to go off on her own—how are those powerful words “Help me, Daddy!” going to work out then? Prayer is not powerful—God is powerful. We don’t believe in the power of prayer—we believe in God.
Be yourself when you pray. Some people completely change their voice and their vocabulary when they pray. Some people act like they’re talking to a child or a puppy. Other people seem like they’re trying to impress God with the King’s English or like they’re in a Shakespearian production. When you pray, just talk to God, in your own voice, with your own words. Don’t be weird.
[Lord’s Prayer] When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them a very short, simple prayer that covers all the bases. Even though we’re talking to God Almighty, Jesus taught us to pray in the context of a close loving relationship, approaching Him for guidance, comfort, and everything we need like a child: “Our Father in heaven, help me keep Your name holy, help me be the person You called me out of the world to be, give me what I need to get through today, forgive me of my sin, help me to forgive other people, lead me away from the temptations to sin I’m going to face today, deliver me from all the evil things, dangers, demonic attacks, sickness, and potential catastrophes of the world. AMEN.” It’s a good practice to say the Lord’s Prayer at least once a day, and then say each part in your own words.
[Prayer Blender] Some people pray by putting a bunch of things they’ve heard other people pray in a blender and just saying a bunch of stuff that kind of sounds pray-like. You know, “Father God we just come before You now, Lord, and ask that You be with us, bless us, hedge of protection, Father God, Lord we just ask for traveling mercies, bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies. In Your Name we pray. It’s kinda strange. Just talk the way you talk. Use your own words. Don’t be weird about it.
Thoughts and prayers. It’s fine to let people know you’re thinking about them but it’s not the same thing as praying for them. Thinking about them is like when you see a car wreck and feel sad. Praying for them is like calling 911 for a medical team to show up. Very different.
[Get-Out-Of-Awkward Card] If someone tells you about something that’s going on in their life and you don’t know what to say, so you say, “Well, you’re in my prayers,” make sure you actually pray for them. Better yet, stop what you’re doing and pray with them on the spot. Or text them a prayer. Or post it on the social media thread. Don’t just use “you’re in my prayers” as a get-out-of-awkward situations card.
[Which God?] It’s also important who we actually pray to. We need to actually pray to God—the God who sent His Son to save us. There are many false gods that have nothing to do with Jesus. Don’t pray to them. That would be like the annoying widow just complaining to her her cat and not bugging the judge at all. Not going to help anything.
When you pray, whenever possible, pray out loud. Don’t just think your prayers in your head. God designed us with mouths and tongues and ears—use them. It’ll help you stay focused on what you’re praying about. Also, when you pray out loud in front of other people, you put God’s reputation on the line—He likes that. He wants people to know about His good reputation.
People think you have to be careful what you pray for. That’s nonsense. God’s not an evil genie just waiting for us to slip up so He can zing us. Like if we ask for eternal life and then we get blown up—live forever as a puddle of goo. Haha! Got you! Or, you’re having a bad day so you pray for patience—then all your appliances stop working, “I’ll show you patience!” No. If God was like a genie, He’d be more like a wise, friendly genie who grants unlimited wishes but will only give you things that are good for you and make your life awesome. So ask whatever you want to ask. If you’re mad about something, let Him know all about it, don’t hold anything back. If you’re sad, cry on His powerful shoulders. You do not have to be careful. If you don’t believe me, read the Psalms—nothing is held back, nothing is off limits.
Prayers can be short/Long—The Lord’s Prayer barely takes two minutes. You also don’t have to keep it brief. God is always more willing to listen than we are to pray.
[Keep The Line Open] I’ve walked into my kid’s room late at night and noticed they were on a FaceTime call with their boyfriend or girlfriend. I’m like, “Oh, are you in the middle of a conversation, I can come back later.” They say, “No, they’re asleep. We just like to stay connected sometimes.” You might think that’s strange but they both did it. I think that’s how God wants to be with us all the time. Just keep the line open—stay connected. Pray without ceasing.
[Pray alone/or with people] You can pray alone, you can also pray with other people. God loves it when His people pray in unity.
[Prayer is Alignment] Prayer isn’t just about getting stuff from God. It’s also about being thankful. It’s about aligning our hearts and desires with His. Asking for God’s guidance, direction, clarity, for His wisdom. When you start the day, it’s never a bad idea to say, “Well, Lord, what do You want me to do today? Whatever it is, help me to keep Your name holy and be the person You’ve called me to be.”
[Listen] When you pray, make sure to take time and listen, too. God’s probably not going to speak audibly, but you’ll probably hear something. He will answer.
God always answers prayer. Always. Sometimes the answer is “no.” “No” is an answer. Sometimes it’s “not right now.”
But don’t give up. Pray like God isn’t going to do it unless you bug Him. Pray like He’s waiting on you to ask.
Pray like it’s the end of the world. Every day.
But that brings us back to what Jesus was specifically talking about in this teaching.
Jesus said God will give justice to His people when they pray, and He will give it speedily. Does that seem true to you?
In the actual narrative of the Gospel of Luke, when Jesus tells this parable, it’s not going to be very long before He gets to Jerusalem and dies on the cross to make everything right. His sacrifice for the sin of the world is the justice God’s people desperately needed that they had been crying out for.
Jesus may have been thinking of the cross and the resurrection when He said, “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.” It was going to happen in a few weeks. Jesus was going to give His life to bring justice to the world for all of us—to make you and me right with God.
That may have been the immediate application to this story. But Luke wrote his Gospel about 30 years later. Persecution was starting to pick up. A lot of things were going wrong in the world. The readers of his Gospel, in all the little churches around the Roman Empire, they would have heard this story and applied it to all the things they were dealing with.
Thirty years ago Jesus had risen from the dead, they saw Him. He promised to come back and make everything right. Bring justice. This parable would have encouraged them to persistently pray for Jesus to come back and make things right. To not give up. With the promise that God will answer speedily.
Well, it’s been 2000 years. Doesn’t seem very speedy does it?
Peter gives us an explanation for this. He said,
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
That’s the “don’t lose heart” part.
To God, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day. Eternity is a long time. He’s not being slow, He was waiting for you, and your kids, and your grandchildren. It’s good that He waited. He’s going to return when the time is right—and we won’t be disappointed.
[Title Slide] Jesus says you need to always pray and never lose heart. Don’t give up. What Jesus has started in you, He’s going to see it through. It’s all on Him. His reputation is on the line.
So, in other words, say your freakin’ prayers. Pray like it’s the end of the world. AMEN.
Prayer:
Lord, give us enduring faith and stubborn persistence in the face of every trouble, everything that’s wrong in our live, everything we have been praying for.
Help us to be persistent in our prayers…
For the family member to come to faith.
For the person who has cancer.
For the marriage that is in trouble.
Help us to be constant, even annoying in our prayers…
For financial pressures, money, and a way to pay for everything.
For NewChurch to get our own place where we can connect to the community all week long.
Remind us to pray. Teach us to pray. Hear our prayers and have mercy on us.
Grant us enduring faith and the strength to never lose heart. AMEN