Luke 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily, Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
The Very Essence of Prayer
If you prayed only for those things for which you have been praying for the last three months, what things would you actually be praying for? The answer is probably different for everyone. Many of the things for which we are asking today are the same things we were asking for a week ago, a month ago, maybe even a year ago. Sometimes we are a little embarrassed at that. We feel that God must be as tired of hearing our requests as those who gather with us on Wednesday night for prayer meeting.
This is, of course, the wrong way to look at it because God does not look at it the way we do. God does not look at time, problems, or resources the same way we do. He is God, and, of course, we are not.
In Luke 18:1, Jesus says, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Sometimes when you read a story, you skip to the end to find out what happens, but here is a story where you know from the very beginning what the end will be and why the story is given. The reason Jesus tells this story is so people would pray continuously and not be weary of praying. He tells a story about an unjust judge, who did not fear God or man, and a widow who asked for his help.
Now, even if you haven’t read the story, do you think that such a judge would help this woman? He doesn’t care about God or men, so he certainly wouldn’t care about this needy widow. Verse 4 says, “And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.” This woman was not going to leave this judge alone, and he could get no rest.
Jesus followed this up by saying, “Hear what the unjust judge saith.” Then Jesus draws the net, “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, thou he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
This is not a comparison of God to this judge; it is a contrast. God is not a crooked judge. Even a crooked judge with no integrity or compassion will eventually succumb to helping someone just so they will not bug him anymore. Is that the way you see God? Do you have to bug God in order to get what you want from Him?
God is not an unjust judge. God is the righteous Judge of the universe. God is a good Father. The Bible tells us that God is compassionate on widows and orphans. It is God’s very character to care for those who seek His help. That would have been true of this widow.
The point of this story is that waiting on God is the very essence of prayer. We wait in order to get what we want, but waiting is what God wants. He wants us to wait on Him. Just like the eyes of a servant look to the master, so we look to God when we wait on God.
There are two reasons we should wait on God. First, we wait on Him because His character is good. He is not some crooked judge trying to drum up business. God’s character is good. So, wait on Him.
Second, His timing is perfect. This very morning I slept in accidentally! My wife asked, “Do you know what time it is?” I said, “Yes, it is 5:20.” She said, “No, it is 6:20.” I panicked. I was an hour behind. I started running through my morning routine because I didn‘t have the right concept of time.
I cannot trust my own sense of timing, but I can trust God’s sense of timing. I don’t even know my own heart, but I can trust God’s character. Waiting on God is the very essence of prayer. Trust Him. His character is good, and His timing is perfect.