We are a people who like to see results and we don't like to wait in order to see them begin to take effect.
If we feel sick we desire a doctor to heal us as quickly as possible. If we want to lose weight we go the gym and begin to go to work at bettering our health. If we believe that we should receive more pay we begin to plea to with one's boss that we may receive our just reward.
We know the results that we want, but with each of these scenarios we must also remember that all things take time. Getting well may take awhile longer then we had originally hoped. Losing weight takes persistent work. Receiving more pay might mean the need to work hard at one's profession to show that such a request is just.
We place so much of our trust in instant results, but so often allow the importance of prayer to go by the wayside. Prayer is important because it joins us to God and thus it aids us in responding to His will. This parable encourages us to be persistent in our prayer.
The woman of the parable was persistent in her pleas to the judge. Eventually her persistence paid off. We too must be persistent with our prayer. Prayer is not a practice of magic where we say the proper words of incantation and thus magically get what we desire. If instant results are the goal of our prayers then we will so often fail to see its importance. We would fail to be like the woman in the parable and thus we would no longer persistently go to the judge asking to be pardoned.
It is the goal of this parable to make us see the importance of persistence. We must continue to be persistent with our prayers. Prayer allows us to direct our attention away from ourself and thus towards God. Prayer allows us to be united with Him who loves each of us so dearly. Prayer is important because it assists in following after God rather then following after our own self serving desires.
The persistence of the widow had effect over the heart of the judge. The judge who was pointed out as being corrupt and unjust and even his heart was moved to pity through her persistence. God is the opposite of this judge because he is not corrupt and unjust, but rather is all good. Therefore when we persistently unite ourself to Him in prayer God hears what is spoken and truly grants us what we need in order to unite ourself unto Him more fully.
Let us be like this widow and thus continue to persistently come before God in prayer. There may be days when we are tired and don't want to, but let us to do so anyway. Let us harvest within our homes the spirit of prayer among members of the family. Let us find ways to nurture within ourself this great desire to serve the Lord by our life.
