"And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint."
Luke 18:1-8
Part 2
Yesterday: Keep on Praying!
“And He spake a parable unto them.”
“To this end.”
“That men ought always to pray.”
God’s children are always ready to talk with their Father.
Today: Do not Lose your Heart and Quit Praying!
“That men ought always to pray,”
“And not to faint.”
And here is the key to effective prayer to Our Father. We do not quit praying and stop asking for the needs to be met. The word “faint” means “to be utterly spiritless, to be wearied out, exhausted”[1] (Thayer). It is the idea that we have lost heart and have given up and quit praying. When we pray and do not immediately hear God’s answer, we are tempted to stop praying. That is the wrong thing to do.
“It is easy to lose heart in prayer because we are not always convinced of the reality of the power of prayer. Too often, prayer becomes a last resort instead of a first resource”[2] (Guzik).
David was ready to quit and give up on life. But what was it that kept him from quitting (fainting)?
“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).
As David remembered God’s goodness, it kept him moving forward with life. Then he said,
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14).
If anyone ever had a reason to give up in his present predicament, it was Jonah inside the great fish. We need to remember that the fix Jonah is in is a result of his own wrong choices. God mercifully brought the fish into the picture to save his life and turn his running away from God to running toward Him. Even in the fish’s belly, Jonah prayed, and God answered him in his need.
“When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple” (Jonah 2:7).
Paul reminded the Galatians that when they are doing the right things, they should never quit! We need these wise words also. We must push on through continuing to do what is right, and instead of fainting, we will reap the blessings that God has for us.
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).
It’s not that we wait around on our knees all day, waiting to pray. We can’t do that. God has things for us to do, like working to take care of our family’s needs! But even so, we are always ready to pray for ongoing needs and when a new need arises.
“We are to keep our weapon of prayer always near, knowing that we are never ‘off duty’ as Christians”[3] (Guzik).
Believers, please remember that Jesus our Savior is the One who keeps us from fainting and giving up. He is the reason that God hears our prayers. So we keep our focus on our Savior.
“For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him” (Hebrews 12:3-5).
Did you catch this? If “we are weary and faint in our minds,” it is because we have not been “pondering Jesus.” If we see the storm around us and give up, it means that our faith is small (Matthew 14:29-31, as Peter learned), and we have removed our gaze from our Savior. Jesus went through the worst of what any vile sinners could do to Him, and yet He persevered to provide our salvation. And now, He is with His Father.
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
Please join us tomorrow as we begin to look at this parable of the “Unjust Judge.”
Quote: “The reason God responds to persistence is because prayer is changing the one who prays. As we pray, God is making us spiritually fit to receive what He is already willing to do”[4] (James MacDonald).
“Worrying paralyzes progress; prayer, preparation, and persistence ensures it”[5] (T.F. Hodge).
[1] J.H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] Guzik’s quote is from the Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Luke 18:1-43.
[3] Guzik, ibid.
[4] MacDonald’s quote Downloaded: Thursday, June 10, 2021. From: http://www.morefamousquotes.com/topics/quotes-about-persistence-in-prayer/.
[5] Hodge’s quote Downloaded: Thursday, June 10, 2021. From: http://www.morefamousquotes.com/topics/quotes-about-persistence-in-prayer/.