Why is Persistent Prayer Important in Luke 18:1-8?

     Persistence means to hold firmly and steadfastly to a purpose or undertaking despite obstacles (The American Heritage Dictionary).  I often see this  trait in athletes who are training for a competition or  in people who are learning a subject that doesn't come easily to them.  


Our nephew won; he is the third one from the right.

   Have you ever thought of persistence in relation to prayer?  Yesterday I read Chapter 40 of the  Life-Study of Luke  on  Luke 18, and in this message Witness Lee shares that  the parable of the widow shows the need for persistence in prayer.  This is on page 350:

"In this parable the Lord indicates that the believers in Christ have an opponent.  This opponent is Satan the Devil, concerning whom we need God's avenging...What shall we do in a situation when we are persecuted and it seems that our God is not living, present, or just?  From this parable we learn to be a bothering widow, one who prays to God persistently" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Luke. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1984, Print). 

     This parable has baffled me at times. It perplexes me that the Lord would portray Himself as someone who appears like He's not listening to us.   It just didn't seem fair to me.    This Life Study of Luke has really been a comfort to me because it helped me to see that God's silence is actually training us to pray persistently in faith.  I have been very encouraged in my own prayer by these verses in this parable:  

Luke 18: 7- 8 And will not God by all means carry out the avenging of His chosen ones, who cry to Him day and night, though He is long-suffering over them?  I tell you that He will carry out their avenging quickly.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?     

 I am learning to pray persistently, and it's not always  easy.  Sometimes I want to give up. My reading of this message was very timely; it came on a day when I needed to hear don't give up! 


Other blogs on the Life Study of Luke:

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Luke along with excellent commentary by tuning into the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.

What Kind of Savior is Revealed in the Gospel of Luke?
Have You Seen Jesus the Friend of Sinners in Luke 5?
Who Did the Samaritan Find on His Journey in Luke 10:33-37?
Why is Persistent Prayer Important in Luke 18:1-8?
A Great Gospel Illustration - How is Man Like a Glove?
From the Life-Study of Luke - Not Reading the Bible Superficially