People usually cite the stories of the unjust judge and that of the man whose importunity pressured his friend to grant his request as a call to continually petition heaven for our needs, as if God is incorrigible.
Permit me to break down these stories for you and help you come to a conclusion yourself, I warn you, it will be a sharp departure of what you have been taught and know.
So who wants to come on this journey with me? Warning - paradigmatic content when you continue reading.
Points to note before we commence:
These stories were told by Jesus comparing how men and God respond to prayers.
The stories were also told to shine light on the human factor and how it can affect answers to our prayers.
These two stories were told to highlight reasons why we need to be persistent in faith and patience whenever we pray.
I’m sure you noticed the points above had a lot to do with human beings. This is because God is a Spirit and no spirit (either good or evil) can do anything on earth except through a body. When you pray (especially the prayer of petition and supplication) God answers, but He needs a bodily vessel as a medium to bring your answers to you here on earth (there are exceptions such as answers only angels can bring like healings, supernatural deliverance even those need men or women to stand in prayer as well)
The Unjust Judge - Luke 18:1-8
This is a story of a widow who needed justice to be served in her favour against her adversary, so she went to the judge and demanded justice.
Points to note:
Firstly, the bible made it clear that the judge doesn’t fear God or man. So the judge cannot be God metaphorically speaking, He is an unbeliever that lacks empathy.
Luke 18:2 (KJV)
Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
Secondly, she only asked once! Not twice or severally as taught from pulpits, just once.
Luke 18:3 (NKJV)
Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’
Thirdly, she persisted in corresponding action of going continually to the judge. This is a sign of faith that her request will be met.
I made a promise to someone who asked for financial assistance, every now and then he just calls or sends a text to say hello without making a request again. That is persistent faith or what the bible calls patience.
Luke 18:5 (NKJV)
yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”
Fourthly, to buttress my point that the judge in question isn’t God in a metaphor.
God neither faints nor tires, so our constant prayer can never weary Him to the point of giving in to our ‘demand’, rather it expresses our doubt and unbelief in His ability to save us and answer our prayers:
Isaiah 40:28 (NKJV)
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
Fifthly, Jesus called the judge - Unjust, that alone deflates the theology that the judge represents God totally in all ramifications because God is Just.
Luke 18:6 (NKJV)
Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said
Finally, Jesus made it clear that God, unlike the unjust Judge, doesn’t need to be petitioned continually before He acts. He said God will answer us speedily when called upon Him despite our shortcomings.
In these verses, Jesus compared God with Man when it comes to answered prayer.
Luke 18:7-8 (NKJV)
And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.
(Make sure you read till my parting thoughts at the end)
Importunity - Luke 11:5-13
The second story used to support the theology of continual petition of God is the story of the man that persisted at the door of his neighbour, whose importunity (persistence) compelled his friend to give him bread late in the night.
Here’s a quick summary.
A man hosted a guest who arrived late in the night because travellers prefer late journeys in the Middle East because of the scorching sun during the day. Upon his arrival, his host needed to be hospitable so he went to his friend and asked for bread. His friend refused to get up from his bed because of the late hour and his family had gone to bed.
The man persisted until his friend got up and met his need.
The theology widely spread from that story is that we need to pray and keep praying (banging on heaven’s door) till God responds. Permit me to refute it.
Points to note:
Firstly, Jesus started the story with a question:
Luke 11:5-6 (KJV)
And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
Jesus pointed out that the man went to his friend at night to make a request. And their friendship and emotional bond was insufficient to give him a breakthrough. Please note that! A lot of people think because of their friend or relative at the helm of affair they will get a breakthrough. A lot of people have been disappointed believing that.
Second point to note is that human nature has its antecedents, your friend or family member might fail you but God can’t, neither will your unwavering persistence fail. The man knew right there at the door of his friend’s house that friendship won’t cut it this night so he switched to resilience and was dogged in his corresponding action.
Luke 11:8 (KJV)
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
This verse is the scripture that is used as the foundation of the flawed theology of continual petitioning of God where clearly Jesus was talking about humans in His bid to compare humans with God.
Thirdly, please note he also asked once, let’s not add to the bible and say what it didn’t say even if it sounds nice in our head. He didn’t leave or give in when the man refused his request, he stayed at the door and didn’t take no for an answer - he was persistent in faith and patience.
Fourthly, just like the story of the unjust judge, Jesus did a comparison between man and God:
Luke 11:13 (KJV)
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Parting Thoughts
Jesus was clearly saying to his listeners that humans know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more God. And He went ahead and told how God will answer us when we ask:
Luke 11:9 (KJV)
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Jesus said when it comes to petitioning God, just ask! Please note, he didn’t say keep asking even the characters from our story did not keep asking. It would have been rude for the man to keep knocking on the door of his friend late at night disturbing the whole neighbourhood.
Jesus just said ASK! SEEK! KNOCK!
Some biblical translations contributed to this flawed theology replaced the original text with keep asking, keep seeking keep knocking, this isn’t correct (see Luke 11:9 AMP).
Persistence isn’t in the request but in FAITH just like Jesus pointed out:
Luke 18:8 (NKJV)
I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
The Jesus was talking about persistent faith not persistent requesting or demand but FAITH. Will He find such faith on earth when He comes? The ability to stand and stand therefore in the face of despair.
Persistent faith is a very important key to receiving answers to our prayers. God has done it all and has given us all that pertains to life and godliness (Ephesians 1:3), but He needs a man or woman as a delivery medium to get the answers to you. That human being might decide to or not to send your package because of the human factor/s, that is why your patience must come into play.
Patience isn’t passive it is ACTIVE. If patience were passive, the judge wouldn’t have said to himself that this woman will weary me or the man’s friend when he said because of the friend’s persistence.
When you petition God according to His word (God will do nothing outside His word) you only have to do it once then patiently wait for it through corresponding actions of faith.
Hebrews 6:12 (NKJV)
that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
- patience isn’t sluggish, it is active.
Hebrews 6:15 (NKJV)
And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
James 1:4 (NKJV)
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
James 1:6-8 (NKJV)
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Patience is actively warding off doubt, fear, worry and double-mindedness.
One of the best ways of doing ‘patience’ is through constant thanksgiving (Romans 4:16, Philippians 4:16).
Another is speaking those things that be not as though they were (Romans 4:17).
Speak the word and promises regrading those things you are expecting.
Keep your hopes high, increase your expectation, dream and imagine them. Hope is the raw material of faith (Hebrews11:1,Romans 4:18, Romans 8:25, Psalms 71:14)
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See you at the next one!
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