And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Comment: I heard the other day that lots of, especially young, people are beginning to say that prayer is a waste of time. ‘Why were the Jews and others murdered in WWII, why hasn’t Covid disappeared with people praying’, they ask. There is an answer to that sort of thinking but here Jesus just says keep on, keeping on with prayer.
The parable isn’t about God – even an unjust magistrate or judge will eventually do something to get peace and quiet.
Jesus doesn’t say that God will answer the prayer but that He will act justly! Consider, the thing we are praying to have removed, may be it is there in God’s will to mature, or discipline or even judge. Either on a personal or a national level. But He will act justly, and we know from elsewhere that He won’t give a scorpion packaged in a bread roll!
His final sentence seems to suggest that at last, late in time, most won’t listen to Him.
Prayer: Thank you for the lesson Lord.
As I read it! 