Throughout the Word, God tells us to have faith, but not just any kind of faith. He tells us to have faith in Him and to have the faith of Him, which is the God kind of faith (Mark 11:22). He tells us to have aggressive, determined, persistent and focused faith. Persistence is defined as “obstinance in a course of action, in spite of difficulty or opposition.” It applies nonstop, constant, relentless pressure to a situation. And it does not let up or give up until all resistance is broken, and the desired result is attained. To help you develop this kind of faith—the kind that gets the results you need and want in your life—let’s walk through a story Jesus told, one that demonstrates aggressive, determined, persistent and focused faith. It’s often referred to as The Parable of the Persistent Widow, and it teaches us The Power of Persistent Faith In Prayer.
Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up). He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither reverenced and feared God nor respected or considered man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Protect and defend and give me justice against my adversary. And for a time he would not; but later he said to himself, Though I have neither reverence or fear for God nor respect or consideration for man, yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will defend and protect and avenge her, lest she give me intolerable annoyance and wear me out by her continual coming or at the last she come and rail on me or assault me or strangle me. Then the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says! And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf? I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth? (Luke 18:1-8, AMPC).
These verses are loaded with five key points to help us develop The Power of Persistent Faith In Prayer.
1. Use your faith when you pray.
“Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up)” (verse 1).
Notice that the context of this parable is prayer. We’re to use our faith in prayer, we’re to be consistent in praying about everything, and we’re to remain in faith as we pray.
2. Keep going to God in prayer.
“He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither reverenced and feared God nor respected or considered man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Protect and defend and give me justice against my adversary” (verses 2-3).
God is not the unjust judge! The man in the parable was. He neither reverenced nor feared God, nor did he respect or consider others. And yet, the woman didn’t back down. She did not let the judge or her circumstances intimidate her from being persistent. How much more will God respond to our persistent faith in prayer!
3. Don’t let time cause you to waver.
“And for a time he would not; but later he said to himself, Though I have neither reverence or fear for God nor respect or consideration for man, yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will defend and protect and avenge her, lest she give me intolerable annoyance and wear me out by her continual coming or at the last she come and rail on me or assault me or strangle me” (verses 4-5).
It’s so easy to let time affect our prayers adversely, but don’t let time cause you to waver in your faith. Ephesians 6:13-14 (KJV) reminds us, “…having done all, to stand. Stand therefore.”No matter how long it takes, we’re to keep standing in faith. We have a covenant with God, and when we go to Him declaring our covenant, He will respond.
When we walk in The Power of Persistent Faith In Prayer, it brings results. He wants us to be persistent!
4. Relentlessly declare the Word.
“Then the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says! And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf?” (verses 6-7).
Crying day and night is relentlessly declaring the Word and standing in faith. The cry of faith is not one of desperation, but of determination. Desperation voices fear, doubt and our personal pain in the moment. But determination voices faith. Even through tears, faith fearlessly declares, “I have it. I have it now!”
5. Don’t be moved by what you see.
“I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?” (verse 8).
Faith sees beyond the temporal into the eternal. In Acts 20:24 (KJV), Paul said, “None of these things move me.” This is where we need to activate our faith. We must develop our faith so that we are not moved away from what we believe and what we are praying for in faith, no matter how bad the circumstances look.
Isn’t this what the widow did? She didn’t take no for an answer. She was relentless and insistent. She did not stop until she got what she wanted. She refused to give up. She tenaciously and persistently kept coming and would not quit. That’s how God wants us to be in our prayer life. He wants us to walk in The Power of Persistent Faith In Prayer.
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