Luke 18:1 “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”
It was Daniel’s custom to pray three times per day (Daniel 6:10). In these prayers, Daniel went to his house where he could have a few moments of solemn communion with God. This was Daniel’s personal time with God. The Lord uses a “parable” to teach us that we “ought always to pray”; that is, like Daniel, set aside time for frequent and regular prayers. This context emphasizes that we should be persistent in our prayers and do not let the adversaries of prayer hinder or discourage us. Oftentimes, when our life is pleasant and there are no great troubles, we tend to get lax in the frequency and urgency of our prayers. But, when trouble comes, we then flee to the “throne of grace” seeking “grace” and “mercy” (Hebrews 4:16). There are times when we continue to “pray” and it seems that nothing is happening; we then tend to become discouraged, thinking that it is useless. But, the Lord uses the “parable” of an ungodly “judge” and a woman needing help to illustrate His instruction to remain persistent in prayer, no matter how long it takes (Luke 18:1-8). If even an ungodly “judge” would finally here her case and help her, surely the God that loves us and chose us will answer our prayers at a time and in a manner pleasing to Him. Furthermore, we often have ‘good ideas’ about how God should answer our prayers; but we must remember that our minds are limited by our human carnality. But, our “faith” (Hebrews 11:1) compels us to trust in God’s wisdom and knowledge, which is infinite and He is perfectly righteous in everything He does. We must be careful to not treat God as our extra strong servant that simply acts upon the whelms of our will. For, even Jesus Christ, when He prayed, said to His Father, “nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). Through “faith” we must rest peacefully upon the Sovereign “will” of the Almighty God. It has been my experience that God does indeed actively answer our prayers, but in a time and manner pleasing to Him. And looking back, I realize that I could have never conceived of, nor executed such an outcome that has so wonderfully benefited me and glorified God!