Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Gospel, Luke 18:1-8                        

Luke 18:1-8

Incessant prayer to a righteous God who directs us to pray always bears fruit. And yet, in order to move us toward that confidence, Jesus employs a story that is very much where we live.  Luke 18 gives a glimpse into expending great effort to obtain good things from a less-than-reputable judge, “a judge who neither feared God nor respected man” (v.2). Dare I say that there are plenty of those kinds of officials in our courts these days.

Luke is clear that Jesus’ intent is to foster prayer. Persistent, directed prayer. Prayer with the expectation of being answered. Jesus says we should “pray and not lose heart.” All the while we must remember this tale in order to, not so much remember to pray, but rather to remember to Whom we pray. Our great and mighty God who always hears, who prompts our prayer, who walks with those who pray. May our prayers rise to that God, that just Judge, who will hear and answer speedily. Incessantly, and always with full expectation.