Life has many challenges and ‘riding out the storm’ isn’t always easy. Some stuff we’re in is simply not right and not fair. When we suffer injustice and there seems nobody that cares or willing to help, we ask ourselves: How shall we handle this? Giving up is a bad option, but how can we continue when everything seems hopeless?
As we have seen, life requires wisdom and strength in order to withstand the storms of life and be stable and safe (see Matthew 7:24–27). Jesus can calm the storms (Matthew 8:23–27). He’s our ‘Lifeguard’ who walks on water, stretches out His hand to save us when we’re drowning and calms the storm on the sea (Matthew 14:22–33). By trusting Him, we can ‘ride out the storm,’ gain security through His wisdom and strength, and be safe at the end. You can trust Him.
In the following parable (a short story teaching a key point for life) Jesus is showing us how to handle life and its challenges, especially when faced with injustice and hopelessness. The key is prayer by faith and perseverance. As someone said, ‘Life isn’t always fair, but God is always good’—even if it doesn’t look like it… You can trust a good God. No matter what we might be facing, what matters is how we behave in challenges and what the outcome will be.
Consider the following, if you would.
Now He [Jesus] was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, “Give me legal protection from my opponent.” For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, “Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out”.’ And the Lord [Jesus] said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?’ Luke 18:1–8 (NASB)
In this parable Jesus teaches about prayer by faith and with perseverance in the face of injustice and indifference. The ‘unrighteous judge’ didn’t care about human rights, the rule of law and the vulnerable of society. He didn’t even ‘fear God,’ which was a scandal in a religious society that saw as crucial human accountability to the highest moral authority—God. Further, this judge had no respect or regard for people either (v 2). He couldn’t care less about their suffering and the injustice they were facing. The judge resembles the exact opposite of what a proper judge was supposed to be. He was the wrong guy for the job, yet he occupied that position with its power. He was the worse choice for a position requiring accountability to God, the Law and the people. The poor woman was faced with an impossible and hopeless situation. What was she to do?
The widow faced an ‘opponent,’ someone who gave her a hard time and it required ‘legal protection’ (v 3). She was without the protection of her husband and the threat might have been existential. Perhaps the ‘opponent’ was somehow involved with bribing the judge in a corrupt court system to extort the poor and vulnerable of society. The widow was helpless (v 3), yet determined. ‘Persistence was her only weapon,’[1] as one commentator noted. She was in a weak position, yet persevered to get what she needed. The conclusion of the unrighteous, irreligious, selfish, indifferent, and perhaps corrupt ‘judge’ shows her strategy and exposes his false motives and bad attitude (vv 4–5). She persevered in her insistence, presumably out of desperation and perhaps with some belief in a ‘higher authority,’ yet the judge would grant her request because he wanted to get rid of her—but couldn’t without giving her what she requested. He was not doing it out of the fear of God, or respect for the law, or the love of justice, or concern and compassion for people. But the widow got what she needed because of her insistence.
The words of Jesus, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge said,’ strike at the heart of the parable: if even the bad person can rule justice in an earthly court, how much more would God, the heavenly Judge, execute justice for His people who pray to Him consistently (v 7). God is the opposite of this awful judge: God is righteous, just, compassionate and able to establish justice. Jesus was teaching His audience about the ‘nature of God’ and ‘God’s character’ with regards to prayer. God is the ‘opposite of…a corrupt judge,’ as Brad Young writes; He is good, fair and righteous.[2] This is important when we pray. The widow’s insistence towards the judge is used as an illustration of prayer to God. The expression ‘day and night’ is an idiomatic statement for unceasing and persistent prayer to God which expresses true faith in Him. Faith in the goodness of God is crucial when one is faced with a bad situation. Perhaps at times we even struggle to pray. The key to this is faith (v 8). That’s what He is looking for. Faith is the power that enables us to persevere and ‘not lose heart.’
The introduction explains the purpose of this parable: we should ‘always … pray and not lose heart’ (v 1), even, or perhaps especially, when we face unjust situations and impossible circumstances. We must not quit, but press on—in prayer and faith with perseverance, as well as a belief in the goodness of God and a hope that justice will be served no matter how things look now. It’s tough to persevere when everything looks bad, wrong and unjust; it’s tough not to lose heart and hope when everything looks hopeless. We get drained out, tired of fighting, and often just give in and give up. But we can’t. Sometimes wrong people ‘win’ not because they are right, but because good people gave up the fight. Can you pray consistently because you know God is good, even when everything looks against it? The conclusion shows that ‘faith’ is the key to prayer and perseverance (v 8). Unceasing prayer is evidence of true faith.
Paul encouraged the believers to ‘pray without ceasing,’ keep an attitude of gratitude and trust God who is faithful and able (see 1 Thessalonians 5:16–24). He wanted the believers to be ‘devoted to prayer’ and ‘continue earnestly in prayer’ (Colossians 4:2), especially in difficult times to be ‘rejoicing in hope, patient [persevering] in tribulations, continuing steadfastly in prayer’ (Romans 12:12). True faith is expressed in prayer and perseverance even if everything speaks against it or seems hopeless. The effective prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much (James 5:16b). Don’t quit—pray! Believe.
Justice when faced with Hopelessness
Then there was another woman in the Bible facing a hopeless and unjust situation, fighting from a weak position. This was a real-life situation, not a parable. Here’s her story.
Two women shared a house and had a child each. One night, however, the one woman accidently suffocated her own child by laying on it—the worst thing that could ever happen to a mother. But, surprisingly, instead of mourning for her dead child, she exchanged it with the child of her housemate: she took the living child of the other woman and placed her dead child in bed with her. In the morning, the mother recognised that this was not her child—no one knows her child better than a mother does. When she told her version of the story to the judge, the wise king Solomon, she was appealing for justice (1 Kings 3:16–21). But would she get it? How could Solomon the judge know?
The other woman objected to her claim in court: ‘No! For the living one is my son, and the dead son is your son.’ To which the first woman objected in return: ‘No! For the dead son is your son, and the living one is my son’ (v 22). It was her word against the other woman’s word. They both knew who spoke truth and who spoke falsehood, yet how was the king/judge to know? How could justice be served? Remember, in court all that matters is what you can prove. With no DNA tests available 3,000 years ago, there was some higher justice and divine wisdom at work here.
Solomon had just ascended the throne over God’s people after king David, his father, passed away. Israel was a powerful and wealthy kingdom at the time. It was their Golden Age. Solomon was still young and the responsibility was overwhelming. So he prayed for God to give him ‘an understanding heart to judge [God’s] people to discern between good and evil’ (vv 6–9). What the one woman did was evil; the other one simply wanted justice. But how was Solomon to know? God was pleased with his prayer. Seeking ‘discernment to understand justice’ (v 11) was important to the God of justice who knows people’s hearts. Among God’s people truth and justice should prevail. God gave the young king ‘a wise and discerning heart’ (v 12). And surely, having to deal with these two women and their claims required such divine discernment and wisdom. So what did Solomon do?
Faced with contradicting claims from two mothers about the two babies—one alive, the other dead—Solomon requested ‘a sword’ (vv 23–24). A sword? Whatever for?! His command was: ‘Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other’ (v 25). What was that all about? What was he aiming at? What ‘wisdom’ was what? Killing the living child also so both can have a dead half?! It sounded ridiculous.
The one mother was ‘deeply stirred,’ and requested the other woman to get the child so as to save him from death. Yet that woman wouldn’t want the child, but requested for it to be divided! (v 26) Who was the true mother then? Solomon ruled that the first woman should get the child: ‘She is his mother’ (v 27). How did he know? A true parent would never want any harm to their children. In being willing to give up her motherhood for the sake of her child revealed her heart as the true mother. A true parent is ready to pay any price for their children and their wellbeing. The false parent, however, although being presented with the chance to get the child (isn’t that what she wanted by exchanging them?) chose his death: ‘He shall be neither mine nor yours’ (v 26). In other words, ‘if I can’t have him, you shall not get him either.’ An awful attitude! It was a reaction that exposed her false heart. Her bitterness of losing her own child made her want others to suffer, too! ‘Hurting people hurt others,’ as is well known. Killing that innocent child wouldn’t make her son come alive, but people in the bitterness of suffering can be very irrational. They think, ‘let others suffer what I am suffering.’ They confuse justice with revenge and seek a false sense of satisfaction in their pain. It’s the expression of bitter, revengeful people, but it makes things worse, not better, especially for the innocent ones.
The ‘wisdom of God … to administer justice’ that was evidenced by the king’s ruling impressed the people (v 28). Justice was served, the false heart exposed, and the true mother rewarded—and the child’s life spared! Justice must preserve and protect life. But let’s reverse a little. The true mother was in a hopeless situation. All she could do is make a claim. There was no evidence to prove her claim. The false mother had the living child under her control. The true mother held the dead child in her arms. She seemed on the losing side with no way to gain what was rightfully hers. In those days what was deep in the heart of people mattered—it mattered to God who established justice for this woman, helplessly exposed to a court case with the risk of being robbed of what was most precious to her: her only child. Either the child would’ve been killed or given to the wrong mother. Either way, the child would’ve been taken away from the true mother based on lies and from bitterness. It would’ve reflected a perversion of morality and a miscarriage of justice! How awful it would’ve been, especially if they continued to be housemates! We might assume that the false mother would’ve ‘rubbed it in’ badly every day…
The true mother was vulnerably exposed and helplessly at the mercy of the king’s ruling. Everything would change for the worse in her life if justice would not have been served. Would it be a victory for morality and justice or a miscarriage thereof? Justice was served. She didn’t quit and give up, but she fought to protect her child, even at the risk of losing it. She trusted that there is a higher justice—and it was served. But until the last moment it seemed a lost cause. Don’t give up—sometimes the right thing happens in the last moment: God can turn things around when everything seems hopeless.
Don’t Quit—Pray!
In the parable there was an ‘unrighteous judge’ who eventually ruled justice; in the story a ‘wise and discerning’ king established justice. Both women were in a weak position, facing a seemingly hopeless situation, but justice prevailed in the end. Therefore, don’t give up. Don’t quit. Pray! Jesus encourages us to ‘always pray and not lose heart,’ and thus allow faith in the God of justice to bring forth justice. Justice comes from God (Proverbs 29:26). Don’t quit. Pray! God will turn things around. Blessed are those who mourn or weep, for they shall be comforted and laugh (Matthew 5:4; Luke 6:21). Those who sow in tears will reap in joy (Psalm 126:5). ‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning’—God turns our ‘mourning into dancing’ (Psalm 30:5, 11). Trust Him and pray.
We shouldn’t quit, although we can but know we shouldn’t. We should not lose heart, even if it looks like a lost cause. When you’re tired from fighting and are worn out, find a place of rest to regain strength and hope so you can persevere. Learn to rest; don’t resign. The struggles of life should make as stronger, not weaker. But we need to deal with them properly (see James 1:2–12). Never lose sight of God’s goodness, nor allow the difficulties and injustice of life to pervert the image of God. God is light and there is no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5). He is good and He does good (Psalm 119:68). Don’t allow the circumstances to move you—trust God instead. Trust Him even when your mind can’t figure it all out (Proverbs 3:5). Prayer guards our hearts and minds from worry and negativity and keeps us at peace (Philippians 4:6–7). Cast your burdens on Him in humility and prayer for ‘He [God] cares for you’ (1 Peter 5:6–7).
God is good. Justice will prevail. Trust Him. Don’t quit—do it!
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