30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 18 1-8 Persistent prayer of faith 05 Prayer is a relationship with God
📖 Luke 18:1-8
01Sep2020 - *Prayer is a relationship with God* - _Luke 18:1-8_ - PERSISTENT PRAYER OF FAITH 5 – Bible reading: _Zephaniah 3:17_
_Luke 18:1-3 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, (2) saying: "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. (3) Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'_
Neither of them, the judge nor the widow had any concern for each other. Not so with us. We are in a relationship with God. We ought to cultivate the relationship that we have with Jesus when we come into prayer. He loves us and we too must love Him in return. So, prayer is a relationship with God.
Let us contrast the judge in this parable with God almighty.
1. This judge was the judge of a city, with authority but for a limited jurisdiction.
_I Samuel 2:10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. *The LORD will judge the ends of the earth*. "He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed." Psalm 50:6 Let *the heavens* declare His righteousness, For God Himself is Judge. Selah_
We come to the judge of heaven and earth.
2. The judge in this parable had no relationship with the widow. She did not matter to him in any way for him to feel obligated to help her.
_Luke 18:7 And will not God grant justice to *his chosen ones* who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? Ephesians 1:4 just as he *chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world* to be holy and blameless before him in love. Isaiah 62:3 You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem In the hand of your God. Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."_
Aren’t we special to our God?
3. The judge was not interested in justice as such. He was an immoral man and was obviously only interested to use his position for his benefit but not to give justice to anybody, though he held the position of the judge in that city.
_Psalm 9:8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. Psalm 10:17-18 (17) LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, (18) To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more. Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation._
4. In the whole story, this judge comes across as an arrogant and haughty man
_Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,_
5. Along with not being concerned for justice, this judge was also not concerned for people in general. He only cared for himself and his comfort.
_Matthew 9:36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd._
The challenge with us is that we have become too familiar with the character and nature of God that the attributes of God have often become glib superlatives in our vocabulary. May we look deep and in the enablement of the Holy Spirit take cognisance of who our God is and be in a worshipful relationship with Him.
*Thought to ponder*
```Psalm 100:3 Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.```