When you have been praying for months without an answer, do you sometimes feel that your voice does not count with God at all? This sermon reflects on Jesus’s parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge (Luke 18), a strangely sad story Jesus told so that we would always pray and never lose heart. It turns out its point lies in the contrast: we are not a nameless widow, and God is not an indifferent judge. Listen and learn how to wait for God when the waiting drags on.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Luke 18:1-8 the widow comes to the judge alone, with no father, husband or relative to represent her. What does that tell us about her situation, and why might the first listeners have found this story sad?
- The judge neither fears God nor cares about people, even though the law required judges to protect widows and orphans. Why do you think Jesus chose such an unjust character to encourage us to pray?
- The sermon stresses that we are not like this nameless widow and God is not like this judge, because we are His chosen ones. How does that truth change the way you think about your prayers?
- When do you feel that your voice doesn't count with God and you have to keep knocking on closed doors? What helps you keep praying in those moments?
- Jesus ends by asking whether the Son of Man will find faith on earth when He comes. What temptations to stop waiting for Jesus do you notice in your own life?
- The preacher admits that we are often in a hurry while God is not. What specific matter do you want to pray about patiently this week, waiting faithfully instead of losing heart?
