Unceasing prayer

https://odb.org/2025/07/22/persisting-in-prayer

Luke 18:1–8 (NIV): 18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town, there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For some time, he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 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? 8 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?”

I feel Luke 18:1-8 illustrates more of God’s love and compassion rather than just pure persistence in prayer. Even though an unjust judge will give justice when continually bothered, it does not mean that if we keep on bothering God, He will likewise do the same. God is God. He is sovereign. He is love. As much as He is a God of justice, I dont think it is right that He is to be bothered in this manner. He will serve His justice in His time, and it may not be in the form or substance that we are looking for. For instance, if we are so unfortunate to have been scammed of RM50,000 by scammers, our persistent prayers will not likely bring back the money lost, and we will never know even if we constantly pray that the scammers be caught and sent to jail. Moreover, we are to love our enemies and forgive those who have sinned against us.

When we pray, we ought to pray with thanksgiving in our hearts and the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). Prayer brings peace that will keep our hearts (spirit) and minds (soul) to remain true and faithful to God, that we will not abandon our faith or lose the hope of our salvation because of a tragedy or bad thing that happened to us. I have seen people lose their minds (become mentally unstable or enter into deep depression) because of failed relationships or during the Asian financial crisis, people took their lives due to mounting debts.

Having said that, we have also seen in the bible of God intervening when the Israelites were subject to acute suffering in the exodus of the Jews from Egypt to Canaan. The LORD proclaimed that He heard the cries of His people. You can see this in Exodus 3 – 7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Ultimately, it is not the persistence of our prayers that will lead to tangible results in our lives, but it is God’s heart for us, His love and compassion. Similarly, it is not the measure of faith itself that can move mountains, but the faith itself (even as small as a mustard seed) that can make changes or bring transformation. Pray unceasingly but always with thanksgiving and not vengeance (or anger or evil) in our hearts and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard and protect our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus! Amen!