In today’s fast-paced, noisy world, finding a moment of silence is a rare and precious commodity. But what happens when silence is forced upon us? What should we do when we are met with unanswered prayers or feel like God is not hearing us? In these moments, knowing how to respond and what to do can be challenging.
In this blog post, we will delve into the significance of the parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke 18 and explore how we can apply its lessons to our own lives. We will examine the challenges of enduring silence, its adverse effects on us, and how we can approach these moments with a sense of purpose and perseverance. So if you’re seeking answers and inspiration for navigating times of silence and unanswered prayer, read on to discover what the parable of the Persistent Widow teaches us.
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
In Luke 18, the parable of the Persistent Widow offers insights into how we can approach times when we feel unheard or like our prayers are going unanswered. Through the story of a woman who encounters an indifferent judge but continues to press her case through persistence, we can learn valuable lessons about perseverance and faith.
In this passage, Jesus emphasizes the importance of persistence, particularly in prayer, even in times of perceived silence. In Luke 18:1–8, Jesus tells the story of a persistent widow who seeks justice from an unjust judge. Despite initially being unwilling, the judge ultimately grants the widow’s request due to her persistence. Jesus then asks if God, who is just, will not also swiftly give justice to those who persistently cry out to Him. The passage concludes with a thought-provoking question from Jesus about the state of faith on Earth when the Son of Man returns.
Experiencing the Silence of God
Have you ever found yourself repeatedly praying for God to remind you of His love, assure you that He hasn’t left, and let you know He hears your prayers? Do you feel like, despite your best effort, all you feel is silence? How do you react to this?
The truth is, there is an ever-present pull to give up, to lose heart, and to forsake the gospel of Jesus. This is the charge that Jesus addresses at the very beginning of this passage, and it’s something we cannot ignore.
We need to recognize and address this reality as people of God. We must acknowledge that sometimes there is no answer to our problems, and we need a place to lament. We are not truly living out our message if we cannot be that place for each other.
Jesus draws our attention to the fact that the widow in the parable is of the most marginalized in society. She has no sons or safety net, and her testimony is not admissible in court. Yet, she goes directly to the judge. Her situation is something can resonate with all of us: feeling like no one is listening, no one understands us, and no one cares about what’s happening to us. Being in prolonged seasons like this can make us feel like we’re on unsteady ground.
Persistence in Prayer
Despite the desire to give up, we must persist in prayer, especially in seemingly silent times. Jesus wants us to realize our need for persistence, and He assures us that God will grant justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night. We need to remember that when we feel like giving up.
You may feel like giving up or losing heart for many reasons, such as sickness and death. Even with efforts to prolong our lives, death is inevitable. Recent events have shown the devastating effects of tragedies like earthquakes and illnesses such as cancer. Additionally, the unchecked evil in our world, such as unjust wars, racism, and the marginalization of society’s most vulnerable, adds to the weight of our struggles. Internally, we deal with the constant pull towards temptation and sin, anxiety, depression, shame, and feelings of inadequacy caused by our past, our families, and our life experiences.
As if all of this was not enough, there is an enemy whose sole focus is to destroy and rob us of joy. With all these challenges, it is understandable to feel like losing heart. Many of us may be holding onto our faith with everything we have, white-knuckling it through life’s struggles with every ounce of strength we possess.
The Holy Spirit wants to hear your prayers. The quality of your faith is proven by your persistence, not just the existence of your faith. Continuing to put yourself in the path of Jesus and ask Him to speak is a testament to the quality of your faith. Despite all the reasons to give up, you are still here, striving, which is a miracle. It may sound like circular reasoning, but the primary way to prove the quality of your faith is through persistent prayer and seeking, even amid what seems like silence.
Wrestling with God
The driving force behind this persistence is twofold: 1) the Spirit of God within you and 2) your belief in the God who is with you. In the parable, Jesus compares the Father to a scoundrel of a judge intentionally because when we feel like God is silent, we tend to view Him through the lens of our silence, rather than viewing silence through the lens of God. This can lead us to retreat from prayer rather than persisting in it.
So if you find yourself in a season of waiting on the Lord and it feels like silence, press in all the more by joining your persistent prayers with the persistent prayers of others. It is important not to retreat inward, but to seek community and persist in prayer.
The Spirit gives us many medicines, and one of them is people. The church, as the body of Jesus, is a way in which He administers healing and His presence. Jesus often affirms His love through His people. Despite feeling the urge to retreat, Jesus calls for us to press in and make ourselves available to those who persist through times of silence. Your faith is proven in the quality of your trust, and this trust is deepened through wrestling with God in prayer.
Wrestling with God is a confirmation of true belief and not a sign of doubt. Those who are half-hearted in their faith do not take offense at silence, whereas those who believe strongly are often offended by it. In the end, Jesus compares the Father to an unjust judge and claims that the Father is worlds apart from this judge.
Even in the face of overwhelming odds, death, sickness, and other challenges, Jesus wonders if people will still be asking for justice and rescue when He returns. Therefore, we must not lose heart and must continue to persist through the silence, as it is the pathway to the enjoyment of God’s presence.
The Intimacy Available Through Persistence in Prayer
The pathway to enjoying God’s presence is through persistence in silence. When we ask God for justice and rescue, He gives us more than we ask for. We start with petition, but we end with knocking, which opens the door to relationship and intimacy with God.
Even if life is comfortable right now, we must remember that there is an enemy who wants to destroy us, and we are deeply needy. Jesus Himself said that, without Him, we can do nothing. By constantly coming to God and asking, we are led on a path to the enjoyment of His presence. Jesus encourages the weary to keep asking because we are led to intimacy with God through seeking Him.
If we are serious about following Jesus, we will all find ourselves at a crossroad at some point in our journey. We may encounter a time when we feel like our prayers are going unanswered and God is silent. This can lead us to question our view of who God is and whether He is able to help us or even cares. However, we must remember that even in the life of Jesus, there were moments of unanswered prayer. Jesus Himself prayed for the cup to pass from Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, but He endured what He feared. He showed us that persistence in prayer leads to the enjoyment of God’s presence.
After His death and resurrection, Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father, enjoying God’s presence. The question for us is whether we will be persistent like Jesus was. There are many reasons to give up, but we must remember that Jesus is alive and powerful, and He cares enough to vindicate His children. Therefore, we should not allow God’s silence to interpret our view of Him. We should persist and put ourselves in the path of Jesus.
Next Steps
Don’t give up if you feel like God is distant and not answering your prayers. Keep persisting and seeking Him. Even though you may not receive the answer you want, the promise is that the door will eventually open. It’s important to remember that God is storing up all of your prayers and frustrations, and one day they will be met with a resounding yes.
When you pray for healing, it’s not just about the physical ailment, but also a longing for a day when sin, death, and sickness no longer exist. Although you may feel like God is silent, you are not abandoned or forsaken. Jesus’ resurrection proves that God is powerful and loves you. Let Him reorient your view of His silence and stick to the solid ground of His constant presence.
If you’re struggling and feeling alone, come to Jesus and discover His resurrection power and the hope He offers. You also have a community of people who are willing to support you and help you carry your burdens.
Are you allowing the silence to reinterpret your view of God? Or will you stand firm on what you know to be true about Him and interpret the silence accordingly? One of these choices will lead you to persist in your pursuit of God’s presence, while the other will cause you to retreat.
For those of us who are experiencing a normal life, we must not become complacent. When Jesus tells us to ask, seek, and knock, it is a continuous action—meaning we must keep asking, seeking, and knocking. We should not allow our comfort in this world to make us think we have no need for Jesus, for without Him we can do nothing.
Remember that God is never more present than when He seems most silent. Even when Jesus was on the cross and cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He was proclaiming that God was near. We should not forget this truth and allow it to interpret the seasons of unanswered prayer and silence for us. So be persistent, and don’t stop pressing into Jesus.
