Ben Fourie

“Now, will God not judge in favour of his own people who cry to him day and night for help?” Luke 18:7

What a beautiful story about a judge who neither feared God nor respected people but was so constantly troubled by a widow who insisted on her right to be heard, that he, in the end, conceded to her wishes. One can see the whole story developing before your eyes. Because of his position as a judge he was a well-respected man and most certainly a very busy person, he did not have much time to pay attention to the petty problems of this widow. In the end he got so tired of her constantly worrying him, that he granted her the wish to intervene on her behalf.

On the other hand, we see a widow that was so sure of her rights that she was not prepared to let it go. The Bible tells us that she kept coming to ask him to judge in her favour against her opponent. She would not accept no for an answer.

In the first verse, Jesus gave the key to the parable when he told his disciples that they should always pray and never become discouraged. He then used this story about the judge and the widow to teach us something about God’s way with us. Two issues are prominent. Firstly, we are encouraged not to become despondent when it seems as though it is taking a long time for God to answer our prayers. It is usually when we are in a predicament that it seems as if our prayers do not reach beyond the ceiling and after some time we give up. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we read that we should pray at all times and not give up.

In the second instance, there is a huge difference between God and this earthly judge. In verse 7b and 8 we read: “Will he be slow to help them? I tell you, he will judge in their favour and do it quickly.” God does not help us because he gets tired of our constantly worrying him, but because he loves us. His answer, his help, may not be as we would have wished, but God knows best and gives me the best solution for my problems.

Prayer: Give me the patience to wait on your answer. Amen