TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray
and not lose heart. 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.’” 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 18:1-8 (ESV)
Additional Scripture
Reflect on the Word
Faith is the gateway to our salvation. It is by faith that we are justified and declared righteous before God.
Yet the work of faith does not end at the moment of salvation—it is also the sustaining force of a victorious Christian life. The same faith that opens the door to eternal life grants us peace with God, access to His grace and the strength to stand firm. It anchors our hope in the glory of God—a hope that is not fragile or uncertain, but sure and steadfast. As Paul writes in Romans 5, this hope does not put us to shame, because it is rooted in a love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Like the persistent widow who came again and again to the unjust judge in Luke 18, faith compels us to persevere without shame, fully
convinced that we will receive what God has promised. It is a faith that endures, that believes and that keeps coming.
We cannot afford to lose this kind of faith—nor allow it to grow weak. Jesus’ words to Peter in Luke 22:31-32 are sobering: “Satan has asked to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.” Even in the fiercest trials, what matters most is not our strength, but our faith. Even today, Christ intercedes for us—so that our faith, though tested, may prove genuine and victorious until the very end.
Prayer + Contemplation
- Remember and reflect on prayers that God has answered in your own life. How has your persistent prayer been answered in the past? How has God shown himself faithful?
- Is there a prayer you’ve prayed that feels ignored by God? Bring that prayer once again before God. Ask Him to give you perseverance like the persistent widow in Luke 18.
- Is there someone in your life who you know is struggling with an unanswered prayer? Bring that person before God and pray that God would help them not to give up in their asking. Pray that God would show them that they are heard, and that He would act on their behalf.
Prayer is for the whole family
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