There once was a tortoise, And there once was a hare,
Who, for some odd purpose, Started a race that wasn’t fair,
The tortoise obviously wasn’t much of a racer,
And the hare, out of the two, was easily faster,
At the start of the race the hare was first placer,
But for this hare, the race meant disaster,
For, believing he had an extremely large lead,
The hare decided to stop for a nap,
You could see this was a very bad move indeed,
For the tortoise slowly began to close the gap,
While the hare continued to sleep dreamily on,
The tortoise steadily continued to run,
Until he passed the hare, resting on the lawn,
Putting an end to the sleepy hare’s fun
By the time the hare awoke from his slumber,
He could tell although the tortoise was slower, he was the dumber,
For as the hare slept for most of the day,
The tortoise crossed the finish line, in a slow and steady way
For over 2500 years Aesop’s little fable The Tortoise and the Hare has taught us the moral—“Slow and steady wins the race.” Another way to say this valuable lesson is—“Persistence pays off!”
Like Aesop, one time Jesus told a little story to teach us a similar lesson. In Luke 18:1-8 he tells us a parable to teach us about prayer. He states his reason for the story in verse 1—“To show them that they should always pray and not give up.” This parable doesn’t just tell us, but it shows us the power of persistent prayer!
Persistence Pays Off (2-5)
Let me introduce to you the protagonist of our little story. Her name is Persistent Widow! We don’t know how, when, or why she lost her husband, but we do know that she was poor and powerless. How do we know this? We know this because all widows were poor and powerless in ancient times. Without a husband to provide and protect, widows were considered some of the most vulnerable people in society. Without means to provide for themselves, they were often forced to beg and were constantly at the mercy of others.
Now allow me to introduce to you the antagonist of our story. His name is Unjust Judge! We do not know how, when, or why he became a judge, but we do know that he was rich and powerful. How do we know this? We know this because all judges in ancient times were rich and powerful. We also know that in spite of his honorable office, he lacked honorable character. As a matter of fact Jesus tells us that he neither feared God nor cared about men. He shadier than a hundred year old oak.
And finally, let me introduce to you the third character in our story. His name is Adversary! We don’t know where he came from or how he got into this position, but we do know that he had some hold over the widow. He was somehow using his advantage over her and treating her unjustly.
Now that we know the characters, let me get on with the story. This oppressed widow kept coming before the judge with the same plea. Over and over again she kept repeating the same request, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” She presumably did this every day without fail. She had more appearances before the judge than Carl Rove, Michael Vick, and Lindsay Lohan rolled into one!
At first she was met with opposition. I don’t know if you have ever noticed, but one of the sad realities of living in a sinful world is that the poor and powerless have a much harder time receiving justice than the rich and powerful. The woman’s status as a widow prevented her from getting justice. She didn’t have the money to buy justice! She didn’t have any influential friends to call to twist the judge’s arm. She was completely at the mercy of the judge, and this judge could care less about true justice.
The unjust judge refused the widow’s request for a long time, but she was not deterred. What she lacked in power and prestige, she more than made up for in persistence! With diligence and determination, she continued to make her request!
Eventually, the judge realized that he she wasn’t going to give up. He reasoned with himself, “Even though I don’t care a lick about justice, I do care about my sanity. If I don’t get this woman off my back, she will drive me completely crazy. I’ll see that she gets justice so that she will leave me alone!”
Jesus shares this little story with us to illustrate that persistence pays off. Have you ever experienced this? Can you think of a time when persistence paid off in your life? Maybe you have walked in the widow’s shoes?
I still remember the time that I really learned the lesson that persistence pays off. It was my first week in college. I was a country boy from the coal fields of Pennsylvania and I had just moved to the windy streets of Chicago, and I knew that if I was ever going to pay for school, I needed a job. Someone told me that I had to go to the human resources office to inquire about on-campus employment. I walked right up to the front desk and said to the lady, “I’m here to get a job!” She smiled at my rawness as she told me about the available jobs in the cafeteria. I may have been raw but I wasn’t dumb. I didn’t want anything to do with a job in food service.
I told her that I was really interested in working at the Solhiem Center, which was the athletic facility at the school. She told me that there were no available positions listed but I could go and talk to the manager directly. She told me that his name was Shawn Demoss.
Well, I walked right up to the front desk and said, “Hi! I’m here to see Shawn Demoss about a job!” I saw that same wry smile cross the guys face as he told me that he would call back to his office to see if he was available. I said, “What do you mean? Available? I walked the whole way across the street to see him about a job.”
I have no idea what the man said to Mr. Demoss on the telephone, but a minute later he pointed me to his office. I walked right in, gave him a firm handshake, and said, “Mr. Demoss, my name is Jason McConnell and I want to work for you!” When he smiled too, I began to wonder what was wrong with these people in Chicago. I proceeded to present my verbal resume by highlighting my previous work experience and history with athletics.
After a few minutes, he interrupted me and said, “Jason, you sound like you would be a wonderful employee, but the problem is that I just don’t have any job openings. All of the positions are already filled by upper-classmen.” I was immediately heartbroken.
Then, for whatever reason, I got bold. I said, “Mr. Demoss, you don’t understand! I have to have a job to pay my way through school and I really want to work here. Again, he said, “I’m really sorry, but there isn’t anything I can do for you.” Finally, I let it all out, “Mr. Demoss, you still don’t understand. I really want to work for you. If you just give me a chance, I promise that I will be your hardest working employee. I’ll do whatever you need. Please, give me a shot. I promise that you won’t regret it.”
I watched him run his hands through his hair as a look of exasperation came over his face. He began to chuckle at my persistence and he finally said, “Can you be here on Monday afternoon?” “You bet,” I said. I was promoted to head supervisor after my first semester and worked there faithfully throughout my college career. I walked in the widow’s shoes and learned that persistence pays off!
Or maybe you have been on the other end of persistence? Maybe instead of walking in the widow’s shoes you have sat in the judge’s seat?
Just the other day I took my children fishing on the shores of Lake Carmi. After getting Marcus’ Sponge Bob Square Pants fishing pole strung up, putting the worm on the hook, and casting the line into the water, I stuck a Y-shaped stick into the sand and propped up the pole. He was so excited! Then I said, “OK Marcus, now we have to sit and wait until we see the bobber go under the water.” About two minutes later, the excitement wore off and he looked up at me and said, “Dad, I want to ‘weel’ it in!” I immediately protested and explained the worm has to stay in the water.
In spite of my impeccable logic, passionate pleas, and reputation as an expert fisherman, my three year old son kept demanding, “I want to weel it in! I want to wheel it in…” And unfortunately, he learned that persistence pays off! Never underestimate the power of a persistent three year old! Needless to say, we didn’t catch any fish, but he didn’t care. He got to weel it in! I sat in the judge’s seat and learned that persistence pays off.
Persistence Pays Off in Prayer (6-8)
After Jesus tells this little story, he applies the moral to prayer. Yes, persistence pays off in general, but it especially pays off in prayer. He focuses in on what the unjust judge said—“I will see that she gets justice” and makes the point that if this unjust judge will ensure that the widow will receive justice, how much more will God hear our prayers and guarantee that his chosen ones will get justice.
When we cry out to him day and night with the same persistence as this widow, our compassionate God will not put us off. He will hear our prayers and answer them accordingly. Just as I could not refuse the persistent pleas of my child, God will not resist the persistent pleas of his children.
Jesus ends this who section with a provocative rhetorical question—“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” This is his final appeal for his people to always pray and never give up. Prayer is one of the greatest acts of faith. Prayer is the exercise of trusting in God instead of ourselves. While we wait for Jesus to return to earth and ultimately restore justice, we are supposed to show our reliance upon him through persistent prayer.
I echo Jesus’ question today! When he returns, will he find faith on earth? Do we really believe that prayer changes things? Do you have enough faith to keep on praying?
Areas for Persistent Prayer
1.) Injustice
This area is probably closest to the text. Though the struggle of this life is sometimes hard and even unfair to Christians as they seek to honor God, we must not lose heart. Sometimes the persecution and rejection we experience makes us wonder if it is really worth it. It is rather easy to become frustrated when those who are unfaithful to God look like they are prospering. When you experience injustice, persistent prayer pays off!
2.) Provision
As we go through life, we encounter times when we are in need of provision. This might be monetary provision, material provision, or some other type of provision. Remember, God loves you and wants to provide for you. He wants you to pray for provision. So often, we have not because we ask not! When you are in need of provision, persistent prayer pays off!
3.) Guidance
Maybe you are in need of guidance today! Maybe you are at some crossroad in your life and you don’t know which way to go. Maybe you have some important but difficult decision to make. If so, keep asking until the Lord shows you what to do. Don’t give up! When you are in need of guidance, persistent prayer pays off!
4.) Healing
The widow’s greatest need was justice, but maybe the greatest need in your life today is healing. Are you are suffering with some disease or bearing the pain of some physical problem. Or maybe you are fine but a loved one is in need of healing. Keep on praying! Hang in there! God hears your cries every night and day! When you or a loved one is in need of healing, persistent prayer pays off!
5.) A Lost Soul
Do you have a lost soul in your life? What I mean is do you have a family member or a friend who is not following Jesus. Are you burdened for them? Are you afraid for their soul? Maybe it is your spouse, a parent, a child, a co-worker! Are you praying for their soul? Persistent prayer gives us the opportunity to be God’s instrument in changing the destiny of someone who does not yet know him. When you are burdened for a lost soul, persistent prayer pays off!
I’m not sure what is going on in your life today, but I do know that while Jesus is away, he wants us to exercise our faith through persistent prayer! So, based on the authority of own God’s word, I challenge you to remain persistent in prayer. Will you do it! Will you hang in there? Always remember that persistent prayer pays off!