Will He? Do l?
Five for Friday #3
One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 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!’” Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 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? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”— Luke 18:1-8 NLT
Jesus told this parable, exhorting his followers to “pray always and not give up.” The word that describes this kind of prayer is “importunity,” which means to be shamelessly persistent - even to the point of annoyance. Jesus is saying that when it comes to prayer, we are to persevere in faith and boldness.
After telling this parable, Jesus asks these two very piercing questions (my paraphrase below).
Do you believe that God will be faithful to his promises?
Will you be faithful to God?
First, Jesus says, “So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night?” This is a rhetorical question. Jesus is implying, “Yes, of course, God will be faithful,” But do we always believe that? When faced with tragedy, disease, or even death, do we really believe God will be faithful? It is easy to believe in God’s faithfulness when things are going well - but what about when they are not? What about when it seems as if your world is falling apart?
This is where Jesus’ second, and more critical, question comes in. “But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” God will always and forever be faithful to us. But will we be faithful to him? When my life and the world around me are falling apart, will I be faithful or will my faith waiver? If Jesus returned today ro tomorrow, would he find me faithful?
You may be going through a tough time right now, or your life may be going great. Our faithfulness to God should not depend on our circumstances. God is faithful, no matter how we act toward him. Consider these words of the Psalmist.
I will sing of the LORD’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. — Psalm 89:1-2 NLT
God is always faithful. His faithfulness is “as enduring as the heavens.” What about ours?
Here are today’s five questions about faithfulness for you to ponder.
Which of God’s promises excites you the most?
Which of God’s promises do you struggle with the most?
What is happening in your life right now that is a temptation not to believe God’s promises?
What does it look like right now for you to be faithful to God?
Who can you go to for help, or to help, with faithfulness to God?