Parable of the widow and the judge. Luke tells us that this is a story about praying and never giving up.

Pray always and never give up. But sometimes we don't want to pray - all we get is silence from God. Jesus' story says "keep praying, even when you get silence or inaction from God in return." Jesus teaches us this because it's something we need to be taught! Otherwise we would quit praying.

There are a bunch of Psalms about poets praying into the silence, saying things like "How long, O LORD?" "Why?" "Wake up from your slumber!"

That's the tradition that gets handed down to us. We have permission to pray - to bear our souls. We have permission to question God - especially when all we get in return is silence. We keep praying because we've been taught to keep praying. We keep praying because we've learned what God is like: patient, kind, loving, full of grace. God is everything the judge in the story is NOT.

Pray always - not just when it's religiously appropriate - pray whenever we're moved by anything in this world.

Most of all - God wants us to always pray because God wants us to be with God - wants us to open our eyes and our hearts to God - wants to be in relationship with us.

Speaker: Aaron Vis

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8

http://bible.com/events/48971537