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? 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?

The Message calls Luke 18:1-8 “The Persistent Widow,” and here’s the story. In a town with a judge without regard for God or people, a widow kept saying, “my rights are being violated. Protect me!” (Luke 18:3, MSG). The judge ignored her. The widow persisted. She was such a squeaky wheel that one day the judge said, “because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding” (Luke 18:5 MSG). This is the story Jesus told the disciples, “to show them that they should always pray and not give up,” (Luke 18:1 NIV).  

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Another story of persistence can be found inCharles Portis’ True Grit. In a hurry to pursue the man who killed her father, teenage Mattie haggles with a stock trader until the very sight of her makes him jump with fright. She buys back her dead father’s horse at a fair price and off she goes. Now, the judge of“The Persistent Widow” and the stock trader of True Grit both encounter women unwilling to give up, and both men give in out of fear of being pestered just one more time. In this way, the comparison between earthly judges and God the Judge ends. God’s patience won’t snap, and he won’t give us what we want just to keep us quiet. He cares too deeply about us.

When we cry out to God for justice, day after day, year after year, none of it sounds like a squeaky wheel to him. It’s an aromatic incense filling his heavenly courts (Revelation 8:4).Incense makes me think of the top floor shops in Pike’s Market in Seattle; the shopping experience would not be the same without the slow burn and earthy smells of those sticks. Heaven would not be the same without the sweet-smelling stream of prayer filling the air. The aroma of hope is pleasing to the Lord, and that’s what prayer is, hope in action. Hope in Someone worthy; Someone who desires to meet the needs of our souls; Someone who cares deeply about our spiritual beings, our trivial needs, and how we feel when we can’t seem to snap out of a month-long Blue Monday.

If an earthly judge can administer justice, won’t God? Jesus says, “I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly” (Luke 18:8 NIV). So, keep hoping, keep praying. Be persistent. Pray expecting God to make good on his promises (Psalm 5:3). Easier said than done, right? Sometimes our understanding of justice looks different than God’s. Certainly, our perception of time is different than God’s. This is why Jesus ends the story of “The Persistent Widow” with this question: how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns (Luke 18:8 MSG)?

Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to trust God, not our own understanding. If God’s justice isn’t what we’ve pictured, and if God’s timing isn’t what we’ve hoped for, he can still be trusted, and our trustworthy God who invites us to pray with persistence gives us that persistence. Friend, ask for what you lack. Do not give up! Even a speck of faith that God will deliver, and even an ounce of strength to pray about it just one more time, that’s the kind of persistence - the kind of faith - Jesus is looking for. And praise God, his mercy and grace equip us to do just that.

Dear Jesus, you can be trusted with my heart and its cares. You see me when my faith is tired, and I feel like giving up. I pray for the faith and the strength I lack; I pray for persistence! And I pray for patience as I wait in expectation for you to provide according to what you deem best. You are a just God, and I love you. InJesus’ name, amen.

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