What Does the Parable of the Widow Really Teach About Prayer? (Luke 18:1-8)

Have you ever noticed how much time Jesus spent teaching people how to pray?

It’s as though he had arrived in a world where nobody knew how to pray, or everyone was praying wrong, and he took it upon himself to show us a better way.

He heard the religious leaders praying lofty prayers, listing all the exalted names of God, and he said, “Keep it simple, guys. Just pray to our Father in heaven” (see Matt. 6:9).

He heard the super-spiritual types delivering 30-minute monologues, and he said, “Don’t pray long repetitive prayers like those who don’t know God. Your heavenly Father already knows what you need before you ask him” (see Matt. 6:8).

But the one kind of prayer that I think really bothered him, was the discouraged, faithless prayer. You know the one. It goes like this:

God, are you there? I’ve prayed so many times before but you haven’t heard me. I’m struggling, and I don’t think you care. I don’t even know why I’m praying anymore. It seems pointless. I just want to give up.

This prayer is a cry for help. The person who prays like this is at the end of their rope. If you pray like this, you need to know that Jesus told a story just for you.

And he told them a parable to show them that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. (Luke 18:1)

The parable is about a widow who pesters a crooked judge. Day after day, she pounds on his door seeking justice. The judge ignores her pleas, but she never quits. Eventually, through her determination, she wears him down and he gives her what she wants.

What do we learn from this story? Apparently, God is like a crooked judge who doesn’t care about you, but if you badger him, you’ll get what you want. You have to pound the gates of heaven, fill those prayer bowls, and pray and pray until you get your breakthrough.

Which is nuts because Jesus is making a negative contrast in this parable. God is not like the unjust judge. God does care.

If the persistence of the plucky widow inspires you, you’ve missed the point of the parable, which is this: If an unrighteous judge can be persuaded to help, how much more will our good Father hear and answer our prayers (see 1 John 5:14–15).

Let’s highlight two phrases in that opening sentence:

He told them a parable to show them that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Prayer is always a good idea. Praying is a healthy way to deal with your anxieties and cares. There may be times when you are tempted to give up talking to God, perhaps because you think he doesn’t care or doesn’t hear, but Jesus wants you to know that God cares. Look how he ends the story:

Now, will not God bring about justice for his elect who cry to him day and night, and will he delay long over them? (Luke 18:7)

Jesus is not saying you need to cry out day and night as though God were deaf or disinterested. He’s saying God always hears our prayers. There is no bad time to pray. You can pray any time of the day or night because the One who watches over you neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:4).

The parable is not about praying endlessly like an unbeliever or pounding the doors of heaven to badger God into giving us what we need. It’s a word of encouragement for those facing hardships and trials. Don’t be discouraged, but cry out to God.

Lastly, Jesus adds this postscript:

However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8)

When the Lord returns, will he find people who trust him and are eagerly awaiting his return? Will he find a mature church that faces trials with hope and prays with faith?

To pray with faith is to pack your prayers with gratitude and praise. It’s talking to God any time of day or night, knowing that he is nothing like an unjust judge.

He is your heavenly Father, who loves you and cares about even the smallest details of your life.

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