“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).
TEXT — Luke 18:1-8
Message
One of the city-dwelling relatives of a farmer visited him. Before dinner, the farmer bowed his head and said grace. His sophisticated relative jeered: “This is old- fashioned; nobody with an education prays at the table anymore.” The farmer admitted that the practice was old and even conceded that there were some on his farm who did not pray before their meals. Feeling justified, the relative remarked: “So enlightenment is finally reaching the farm. Who are these wise ones?” The farmer replied, “My pigs.”
Truly, those who live without praying identify with the lower animals that possess neither the instinct nor the ability to pray. But because we were made in the image of God, we have a natural inclination to God, which finds expression through worship (including prayer). Man cannot do without God. Christ’s parable in today’s text about the importunate widow and the unjust judge was fittingly designed to teach us one lesson: men ought always to pray, and not faint. In the parable, the helpless widow depended on the reluctant judge for justice against her oppressors. Her persistence won the day.
Christ did not mean that God is difficult to approach or reluctant to attend to our prayers as was the unjust judge. It was to teach us that if the unrighteous judge could be moved by the perseverance of a hopeless widow to do justice, we have every reason to expect our compassionate God to answer those who cry to Him “day and night” for interventions.
Prayer is, basically, an acknowledgment of our rightful dependence on God. We must do it with faith in God’s goodness and faithfulness. He is able to meet our needs and solve our problems. But we must pray.
Thought for the day
Prayer is a privilege, a priority and a power source.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
1 comment
Thank you father for your Word this morning
Thank you for speaking to me 😊🙏
Holy spirit help me, teach me, inspire and encourage me to pray everyday of my life.
Thank you father for your Word this morning
Thank you for speaking to me 😊🙏
Holy spirit help me, teach me, inspire and encourage me to pray everyday of my life.