1 Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect people. 3 And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, 5 yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out by her persistent coming.’” 6 Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them? 8 I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Luke 18:1-8
Luke 18:1-8 is the story of a women begging a judge for justice. He was a judge who had no regard for God, people or the woman.
As I write this devotion a few days before the presidential inauguration in Washington, the capital is full of soldiers and police to guard against any possible trouble from people who think injustice has been done. What do we as Christian need to be doing in these times of great division in our country?
Nehemiah 4:9 says, “So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard because of them day and night.”
Notice that prayer is the first thing the scripture commands! There are many examples of Jesus praying, and as His followers, we must do the same. The difference between us and the woman in Luke 18 is that we are petitioning our God who loves His children and wants what is best for them.
We are to pray persistently to God, not to pester Him into compliance with our wishes, but so He can use our prayers to clarify our mission and direct our path to do what is just.
Often, however, we pray about a situation but don’t do anything about it. The second part of Nehemiah 4:9 says to “post a guard.” That tells me that in addition to praying, God wants us to do what we can to help bring justice to a situation. Micah 6:8 says, “Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
The bad judge finally relented and allowed justice for the woman, but not out of kindness. Luke 4:18-21 is where Jesus declared His mission. As Christians who follow Jesus, we too can bring justice, but we can do it out of love for our neighbors. Start praying every day for God to show you your mission.
For example, go to the TN Baptist Children’s Home website, find what their needs are, and begin to help. Each of their homes needs help with meals. From your computer, you can send a gift card to help the house parents buy a meal to feed six to eight children.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- Am I praying persistently for our country and government leaders?
- Am I asking God to show me what I need to be doing to address injustices?
- Racial injustices, Acts 10:34
- Hunger injustices, Matthew 25:31-40
- Health injustices, Matthew 25:31-40
- Immigration (stranger) injustices, Matthew 25:31-40
- Widow and orphan injustices, James 1:27
- Prison injustices, Matthew 25:31-40
- Discover more about where you can serve at https://brentwood.church/serve/local/
Missions Prayer
Pray for unreached people in Europe to meet a Christian who will share the gospel with them. There are 303 unreached people groups in Europe. The unreached people group (UPG) landscape is changing there as tens of thousands of people from unreached areas of the world immigrate to European countries. Pray for the church in Europe to be bold, strong, and loving, and that European Christians will seek opportunities to build relationships and share the gospel with those who don’t have a relationship with Jesus.