[1] One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. [2] “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. [3] A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ [4] The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, [5] but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” [6] Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. [7] Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege of coming to You in prayer. Help us to be persistent in our prayers, trusting that You hear and will respond in Your perfect timing. Teach us to keep praying until our joy is full, and to rely on Your answers, whether they are Yes, No, or Wait. Strengthen our faith and give us the boldness to declare that we have prayed about our concerns. In Jesus' name, Amen.