I have encouraged us through this Covid-19 virus crisis to set aside time for prayer and reflection in the middle of the week to reflect on our blessings, the things that have gone well as well as bringing to God the difficulties we are going through or facing in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus tells the story of a young woman experiencing some incredibly difficult times. Let us look briefly at this account of how she responded after reading through Luke\u2019s record of what Jesus said to His disciples:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.\u00a0<\/em>2\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>He said:\u00a0\u2018In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.\u00a0<\/em>3\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, \u201cGrant me justice against my adversary.\u201d<\/em>4\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>\u2018For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, \u201cEven though I don\u2019t fear God or care what people think,\u00a0<\/em>5\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won\u2019t eventually come and attack me!\u201d\u2019\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 6\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>And the Lord said,\u00a0\u2018Listen to what the unjust judge says.\u00a0<\/em>7\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?\u00a0<\/em>8\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The purpose of the story<\/strong>:\u00a0Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that\u00a0<\/em>they should always pray and not give up<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(Luke 18:1)\u00a0Why did Jesus need to tell this story? It is quite straightforward because as human beings if we don\u2019t see something happening in a short period of time then our enthusiasm for bringing an issue to God often drains away and before you know it we have stopped expecting anything to happen even if we are still praying for it for a considerable period of time. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus wanted to encourage His first disciples and us today to not only \u2018try praying\u2019 but to \u2018keep on praying\u2019. It was central to Jesus\u2019 life and His example is a serious challenge to us when we settle for something less. Do you need to be encouraged to set aside some time for prayer on a daily basis?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem behind the story:\u00a0<\/strong>He said:\u00a0\u2018In a certain town there was\u00a0<\/em>a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em>(Luke 18:2)\u00a0Some problems in life seem too big to overcome.\u00a0This judge was in charge of that court for years. There was no Court of Appeal. He was a giant roadblock in the way of her quest for justice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What is your roadblock just now in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis? Is it mental health struggles coping with being confined to your home? Is it a fear of catching the virus in your workplace? Is it anxiety about losing your job or not getting the university place you had worked for? Is it worry about a decline in physical health and strength as you have got older? The list is endless and at all ages! <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are facing your roadblock just now remember these words of Jesus in Matthew 19:26:\u00a0Jesus looked at them\u00a0<\/em>[His disciples]\u00a0and said,\u00a0\u2018With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.\u2019<\/em>\u00a0There is no situation too big for God to handle. Bring your concerns to Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The person in the story:\u00a0<\/strong>And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, \u201cGrant me justice against my adversary.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>4\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>\u2018For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, \u201cEven though I don\u2019t fear God or care what people think,\u00a0<\/em>5\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won\u2019t eventually come and attack me!\u201d\u2019\u00a0<\/em>(Luke 18:3-5)\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The young widow in that culture was incredibly vulnerable. Her chances of getting justice from such a court as this were minimal. Yet\u00a0because she was convinced that nothing is impossible with God combined with the strength of her case she was determined to keep coming back with her requests for justice. Jesus\u2019 point to His followers was very simple. If she could do it so can you and me. \u00a0Never give up in prayer; never give up in evangelistic witness to family and friends who need to find Jesus for themselves; never give up hope that we will receive the answers to our prayers \u2013 for as long as it takes!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The points to remember from the story:\u00a06\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>And the Lord said,\u00a0\u2018Listen to what the unjust judge says.\u00a0<\/em>7\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?\u00a0<\/em>8\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?\u2019\u00a0<\/em>(Luke 18:6-8). <\/p>\n\n\n\n God loves and cares for His children so if there is no totally hopeless situation on earth we can come before Him with a quiet confidence of God answering our prayers, although we must never forget His answers to\u00a0our request may be \u2018yes\u2019, \u2018no\u2019 or \u2018not yet\u2019. The last point Jesus highlights in Luke 18:8concerns our perseverance in prayer and expectancy of God working in people\u2019s lives\u00a0until\u00a0the day He returns. Can Jesus count on you and me continuing as a praying people?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our song for reflection today \u2018Never once did we ever walk alone\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n