While running up a sandy path toward a neighboring lake, I could hear water gushing from the overflow pipe. It was a powerful display exploding from the tube onto a gorged trail of rocks going downhill toward our lake. We’ve had a ton of rain in the last several weeks, capped off by tropical storm Debby. The storm brought torrential flooding, tornadoes, and wind damage in her path from the tropics to the mid-Atlantic. It was more of the same for us — a deluge of rain.
Seeing all that water rushing past me, it looked like it was trying to find an escape. There was too much for this one place, so it had to flee. I thought that it was like our prayers. Everyone on this planet who is praying doesn’t pray for their prayers to stay put. They’re going to God. They’re encouraging others. They’re an example to others. They’re flowing out of us and downstream. The moment we pray, the prayer is in motion. Water is in motion, too, eventually evaporating into water vapor and rising to the sky. The larger the surface area of the water, the more molecules are exposed to air, increasing the evaporation rate. Likewise, the more prayers uttered, the more God has to work with.
My neighbor asked me if I was worried about the water levels rising yesterday, and I had to admit, a little bit. She said, “But thank God He took care of it. He was watching out for us.”
And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:3-8
What is Jesus teaching us in His parable of the “Persistent Widow?” Was it about seeking justice, indifference, and self-interest? Jesus ends the parable with a reflective question: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” His question suggests that persistent prayer is tied to faith. True faith is about belief, trust, and perseverance in seeking God’s justice, even when we don’t get immediate results. Jesus wants us to trust God’s Justice and examine our faith, especially in waiting on God.
In the parable, the widow is a stranger to the judge. In contrast, God’s people who pray are His chosen ones. Those He knows intimately, loves deeply, and delights in. The widow stood alone in her plea, yet God’s people are vast and united in our prayers. The widow approached a judge who kept her at a distance, but we come to a Father who invites us to draw near to him confidently, encouraging us to cry, “Abba, Father.” She sought justice from an unjust judge, while we seek help from a righteous Father.
Most importantly, though, the widow had no lawyer to speak on her behalf or to strengthen her petition, but we have an Advocate with the Father—His own Son, who eternally intercedes for us. Her persistence irritated the judge, making her fear his ruling. In contrast, our persistence in prayer is pleasing to God.
I have always looked to this parable in the light of prayer. As opposed to nagging and whining, I believe Jesus wants us to see that the widow was persistent in her beliefs. She recognized the judge as her lord (lowercase “l”) and placed her faith and trust in him. She would not relent in her appeals to him as long as she lived. The judge in the parable was not a good man, but Jesus tells us that God, as the ultimate judge, will deliver justice to those of us who continuously cry out to Him. As long as we look for tangible solutions for help, we will be disappointed. It is only God who delivers justice in this corrupt world.
Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Matthew 15:21-28
There’s a lot of discussion about this passage in terms of Jesus’ change of heart. But did He? Some scholars delight in arguing that the woman changed Jesus’ mission from saving only “the lost sheep of Israel” to all people. I find that hard to believe, considering what God told Abraham 2,000 years before Christ’s birth. The plan was always to reach out and save all people. “For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. (Genesis 17:4-5).” Also, in the Old Testament, Isaiah prophesied that God would make Jesus the Messiah “a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6).
If I’m driving to work and I know I need gas, I choose the Circle K down the street instead of pulling into an Exxon station as I thought I would. I’ve changed my mind, but my mission hasn’t. I’m still getting the fuel I need to get to work. While on earth, Jesus was God and man. He might have decided to eat grapes instead of figs on a given day. But there’s no changing God’s mind. God is sovereign, above all things, and His plan was set before time was created and will remain after time is no more (Revelation 10:6 KJV).
The Canaanite woman did not envy the blessings of the Jews; she merely wanted the favor of Jesus’ healing. She owned up to her unworthiness as a gentile. Canaanites were considered pagans and looked down upon from the Jewish perspective. Jesus first met her first plea with silence. He then called her and her people dogs. It was a test. Did she really want His help, and did she show any faith?
What blows my mind is her reaction or lack thereof. She was unflinching. Jesus wasn’t attacking her race, gender, or religion; He was addressing her unworthiness. Her faith-filled response has changed history. The widow set an example of all people seeking God’s favor from the table. She knew that she was not worthy to sit at the table and wasn’t offended by this. She responded to Jesus with bold and desperate faith. Three times, she referred to Jesus as LORD even though she was shut down.
“She is wrestling with Jesus in the most respectful way and she will not take no for an answer. I love what this woman is doing.
In Western cultures we don’t have anything like this kind of assertiveness. We only have assertion of our rights.”
Tim Keller
We should always pray heartfelt, honest, and sincere prayers to God. Will it change Him or His mind? No. Will it change us, our lives, and our perspective of our problems? Yes! Praying changes our view of things. Like water vapor, Prayers are carried upward due to the SON/sun, manifest to God, and then return to the Earth as Grace. Fervently praying for our good friend (B) while his wife was nearing the end of her life sadly didn’t change God’s plan, but it covered them with love, care, and blessings. “We have felt the comfort from all the prayers during a time filled with incongruity and such uncertainty,” he told me.
Except for the love of Christ, none of us are worthy of eating the crumbs off the table. No one can alter God’s choices for this world, and we shouldn’t look at our prayers to do it, either. But when we pray, we use the most powerful tool at our disposal to change this world. Prayers make a difference in us and set an example to others about the radiance of pure faith. Prayers will bring us the crumbs.
By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:5-6
Life Application:
- The Canaanite woman’s persistence, despite initial silence and apparent rejection, is a powerful example of unwavering faith. Her refusal to give up, even when it seemed Jesus was not going to help, teaches us the importance of continuing to trust and seek God, even when answers seem delayed or when circumstances appear discouraging.
- Pray to God with humility, recognizing that we do not earn His favor by our own merits but rely entirely on His grace. Trust in God’s wisdom and submit with a heart open to His will.