3/18 Luke 18:6-7

⁶ And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?"

Jesus told a parable to help us remember we should not lose heart regarding our prayer requests. The parable is about a judge who had no fear of God and a widow who kept coming to him for justice against the one who wronged her. Though the unrighteous judge did not fear God or respect men, the widow's persistent coming to him wore him down.

Jesus was teaching by way of contrast. If an unrighteous judge would give in to persistence, would not God, who loves us and is just, give justice to us when we continually bring our requests to Him? Will God put us off and delay exercising justice?

The parable teaches that God will act when we bring our requests before Him. So then, why do we often see our requests delayed or unanswered? There are a number of possibilities. First, is your sense of justice the same as God's? Perhaps God sees the situation you are praying about in a much different light. Only God can see the heart of your adversary. Another possibility is that we may be praying from selfish hearts. James tells us God does not grant our requests because we ask wrongly, to satisfy selfish passions (James 4:3). However, when your cause is clearly righteous, you can be sure that God hears and will act. Don't give up. Sometimes it takes time for circumstances to be ordered so that justice will be complete and clear to those who observe it.

Remember: Check your heart when you pray to be sure it is pure. Pray according to God's will and, though it may take time, you can be sure that God will be just (1 John 5:14).