Persistent Faith and a now revealed Dimension of Prayer
Luke 18:1-8 paints a striking picture of prayer in the last days. Jesus teaches His disciples to “keep praying and never stop or lose hope”, then gives a parable of a widow who refuses to quit until justice is rendered on her behalf.
At first the judge refuses her request. But her persistence, her relentless returning, her refusal to accept delay, compels him to move. Jesus uses this comparison to reveal something powerful:
If an unrighteous judge responds to persistence, how much more will the Righteous Judge of all the earth respond to the cries of His chosen ones who cry out day and night?
And then Jesus asks the question that cuts to the core:
“When the Son of Man returns, will He find this kind of undying faith on the earth?”
In the parable, Jesus highlights another dimension of prayer. This is the kind of faith He is referring to:
a faith that not only speaks to our personal needs,
and not only intercedes for the advancement of God’s Kingdom,
but also brings before the Righteous Judge every trespass, every violation, and every attack of our adversary.
This is a dimension of prayer many believers forget.
We often pray for our needs.
We often pray for the Kingdom.
But Jesus shows that persistent, end-time prayer also includes petitioning Heaven for judgments against the adversary.
The widow did not approach the judge for comfort or supply.
She came for justice.
There is a time to come before God not only as Father, but as Judge, because the adversary still accuses, still violates, still trespasses (Revelation 12:10), and his accusations must be silenced in the courts of Heaven.
Jesus has promised, “He will pour out His Spirit upon us.”
And the Holy Spirit reveals hidden sin, unseen legal rights, and bloodline claims the accuser uses as he accuses us day and night before the Father.
The Holy Spirit exposes what we cannot see on our own.
He brings us into the light (1 John 1:7).
He empowers us to repent, revoke, and overturn the enemy’s case.
So when the adversary rises with accusations, curses, reproaches, or generational claims, we approach the Righteous Judge with the evidence of the blood of Jesus, and we request the judgments Heaven has already written in our favor.
This is the kind of faithfulness the Son of Man is seeking in His people for when He returns.
