Luke chapter 18, and he spake
a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray
and not to faint, saying there was in a city a judge which feared
not God, neither regarded man, and there was a widow in that
city, and she came unto him saying, avenge me of mine adversary,
and he would not for a while, But afterward he said within
himself, though I fear not God nor regard man, yet because this
widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming
she weary me. And the Lord said, hear what
the unjust judge saith, and shall not God avenge his own elect,
which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with
them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless,
when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth." The Lord Jesus Christ, God Almighty, who came into this world in human
flesh, was a man of prayer. The Scripture says in Luke 6,
and this is just one of many, I picked this verse here, and
it came to pass in those days that he went out into a mountain
to pray and continued all night in prayer to God. If there was ever a man in which
there was no in himself need of prayer, It was the Lord Jesus
Christ. He knew no sin, but as the representative
of His people, He humbled Himself, the Scripture says, and made
Himself of no reputation a servant of Jehovah. And the Scripture
says, by faith He walked before God. He said, I do. Always only
those things that please Him. The things I speak, He says,
I heard of my Father. He was a man of prayer. And with that in mind, with that
thought in mind, the Lord Jesus Christ prayed. Here He says He went into a mountain
and prayed all night unto God. The Scripture says then, with
that in mind, He spake a parable unto them to this end for this
reason. This was the purpose of this
parable that he was about to give. This is the reason he gave
the parable. He spake a parable unto this
end that men, I'm talking about fallen creatures of the dust. The Lord Jesus Christ prayed
and He said that men, Sinners. He knew no sin. But as our mediator,
as our advocate before God, as the establisher of the righteousness
of the saints, He prayed, establishing righteousness for us. What He
did, we did. But He said that men, sinners
by birth, sinners by choice, sinners by practice, Men, made
in His image. Now you know I noticed something.
It didn't say holy men, it didn't say it said men. Men, and a believer
has no desire, no heart to pray. A believer prays. But this is
what men ought to do. Men ought always to pray. We don't know what a day is going
to bring. We don't know what our need is. We're frail creatures
in a hostile land. And we need to inquire of God,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Men ought always to pray. We have public prayer. We start our services, end our
services. with prayer. I have someone lead
in prayer. We have public prayer. But the scripture sets forth
that we have private prayer. When you enter into your closet,
you enter into your closet, you close the door, and you pray
to your Father in secret. And your Father which heareth
in secret shall reward you openly. So we have private prayer. But the Scripture says that we
should be ever in a spirit of prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5 verse
17 says, pray without ceasing. Pray without ceasing. Now there
is not a time when we never stop verbalizing. That's not what
he's saying. But we should always be in a
spirit of prayer. of the Lord, mindful of Him,
mindful of ourself, mindful of our need. You that know Him,
you that believe, is it not this way with you? Everything concerning
our life revolves around our knowledge of Him. We acknowledge
Him, we're thinking on Him. That things that cross our paths,
we cannot, we cannot be away from, get away from the thought,
the realization. of the Lord Himself. Living in
that attitude of prayer. There's times... I know what
we think of prayer. I know we think of verbalizing
or even the thought, you know. But there's times... I was talking to Brother Tom
Harding about this one time. He said, Marvin, I think that
there's a time when a believer is actually praying and he doesn't
even realize that he's praying. It's that mindful realization,
acknowledgement of who the Lord is, and you never said anything. You never even had that thought
process, this is a prayer. Pray without ceasing, trusting
Him, resting Him. Philippians 4, 6 says, Be careful,
that is, be anxious. I mean, don't take a thought,
don't worry. Be careful for nothing. Oh, I
wish I could do that. But in everything, everything,
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request
be made known unto God. I desire the Lord direct me today. I desire the Lord bless this
service right now. I pray that the Word go forth
in power. I pray that the Lord encourage
us, teach us, give us a heart to worship. And I don't even
know how to ask that. But I desire that. This privilege
to pray was purchased by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And it's the means of God's blessing to His people. Back in Ezekiel,
we've read this many times. I'll tell you what happened and
I'll just read this one verse. The Lord said, I'm going to give
you a new heart. I'll give you a new spirit. I'm
going to bless you. I'm going to pour out blessings
upon you. And He listed in Ezekiel 36 all of these things that He
was going to do for Israel, for His people. But He said in verse
37, Ezekiel 36, 37, Thus saith the Lord God, I will yet for
this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them. I will increase them with men
like a flock." Prayer. Prayer is the breath of spiritual
life. A believer prays. Men ought always to pray. Only a believer has a heart to
pray. Remember Saul of Tarsus on the
road to Damascus. He was a Pharisee. Grew up, right
home, circumcised the right day. All of these credentials that
he had, and said his prayers. But the Lord converted him on
the road to Damascus, and then the Lord acknowledged. Behold,
he prayeth. It takes a new heart, faith to
believe God. Prayer was purchased. When we
pray, that privilege to pray cost the blood of God, the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Men ought always to pray and
not to faint. not to be weary or fail in heart. Now the Lord gave that truth
just before He gave this parable that we're about to read. He
gave that truth, He spake this parable for this reason, to teach
us this thing of prayer. Here's what happened, verse 2
to 5. Saying, there was in a city a judge which feared not God,
neither regarded man. There was a widow in that city,
and she came unto him saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. He would not for a while, but
afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard
man, yet because this widow troubleth me. I will avenge her lest by
her continual coming she weary me." A mistreated widow obtained her desired justice
from a wicked magistrate that didn't care for her and didn't
care for her problem. As far as he was concerned, she
was a nuisance to him. But because of her persistence,
her importunity, because she would not leave him alone. Judge, judge, judge. I want to talk to you about my
judge, judge. He said, yet because this widow
troubleth me. I will avenge her lest by her
continual coming she weary me." And then the Lord Jesus Christ
said this, hear what the unjust judge saith. He's going to do
for her what she desires just so she'll leave him alone. I'll do it. I'll do it. just so she'll leave me alone."
And then he gave this blessed truth. He said, if this unjust
judge, whose only desire is some peace from this woman, if he'll
give her what she wants so she'll leave him alone, he said, look
at the extreme of that truth. Look at the 180 degree of that
truth. And shall not God avenge His
own elect? God has an elect. The Lord has
a people that He has everlastingly loved, that He chose in the Lord
Jesus Christ from before the foundation of the world. Chosen
vessels of His mercy. His jewels that He chose in Christ,
loved Him, chose to show mercy to Him, shall not God Almighty
for His everlastingly beloved, those that the Lord Jesus Christ
said, you've ravished me with one of your eyes, shall not God
Himself, Avenge. Make good. Make good on what
wrong has been done to His people. Shall not God avenge His own
elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long
with them? That last statement right there. Let me tell you what He said.
Shall not God avenge His own elect which cry unto Him night
and day having been long suffering over them. The Lord who allows
them to go through what they're going through. This woman right
here was going through a trial. She had some problems. She needed some justice. She
needed some justice done. Avenge me. Help me. You're the only one who can help
me. I've been wronged. And you're the judge. You're
the one that can fix this. He said if that unjust judge
will just, so she'll leave him alone and not weary him. If he'll
do that, shall not the one that chose you, that loves you, that
gave his son for you, that watches over you, robes you in his righteousness,
going to have you with Him eternally. Shall not God avenge His own
elect, cry night and day unto Him, though He bear long with
them, though He has allowed them to continue going through this
trial for a while? He's allowing this for a reason. Yes, that widow in that parable,
she has trials. She had trials. But let me ask
you this. Whatever we're going through,
whatever you're going through right now, whatever you just
went through, or whatever you shall go through, and you that know
Him, you will. You will. In this life, we're
going to have tribulation. But I'm going to tell you something.
It doesn't matter how we got into it. It doesn't matter how
it came about. The Lord worketh all things after
the counsel of His own will. Whatever it is. Whatever it is. The Lord has sent it. The Lord
has allowed it. And as we cry unto Him night
and day, day and night, Lord have mercy, Lord help me. He
said, shall not the one that loves you. This judge didn't
care for this woman. He didn't care for her. I don't
care about you or your problem. I just want to be left alone. Shall not the one that loves
you. the one that cares for you, shall not He avenge you, though
He allows you to continue going through this trial for a while?
The Lord's not forgotten to have mercy. The Lord's not forgotten
to show compassion. Hebrews 12, 6, For whom the Lord
loveth, He chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Do you think that these trials
or tribulations have no purpose? Do we realize that our crying
unto Him day and night has been ordered by the Lord? If there
were no trials, no troubles, no tribulations, let me tell
you what we would do? Nothing. Nothing. But as He graciously
allows us to go through these trials and bears long with us,
allows us to continue. Paul the Apostle had a messenger
of Satan to buffet him. And he said, I besought the Lord
thrice. Lord, you take this away. And
here was the answer. My grace is sufficient. My grace
is sufficient. Shall the Lord not for His glory
and our good and bear long with us. 2 Peter 3.9 says the Lord
is not slack concerning His promise. What promise? All promises in
Christ. He said, I'm not going to leave
you. I'm not going to forsake you. I've always loved you. You're not
going to fall. You're not going to fail. The Lord is not slack concerning
His promises. Some men count slackness. Satan
will come and tell me, the Lord's forgotten. The Lord doesn't care. You're on your own. I see the
sin within. I have no hope. I'm so inconsistent. But it's long suffering to us.
Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Oh, believer, whatever the trial,
it is for our good. It is for His glory. He bears
long for a wise reason. Here it is. Here's the reason.
He careth for you. He careth for you. Let me tell you real quickly. My kids, whenever I could, as
they'd grow up, when they'd go through something, I'd say, I'm
going to fix it and I'm going to get it fixed now. I'm going
to fix it quickly. Quickly. You do that. You do
the same thing. Let's get it fixed now. But the Lord in His wisdom, allows
His people, He bears along with them for a wise reason that we
don't understand. But all what we learn, what we're
taught of having to trust God, having to believe Him, and wait,
wait on the Lord. Why? Why Lord? Why? Take this
away. My grace is sufficient. And we look back and it's easier. to look back and see the mercy
of God in allowing us to go through that and to teach us, to hold
us. The Lord said in verse 8, I tell
you that He will avenge them speedily. I tell you He will. He bears long with His people,
but He will avenge them speedily in His time. Out of your adversity. Men ought always to pray and
not to faint. Continue to cry. It is for our
good. Remember this, he shall avenge. The Lord's going to end this.
He's going to finish this. He shall settle all wrong toward
you. That's what He's saying. Deliverances
of the Lord in His timing, in His way, in His manner. He shall
rescue His people. He shall. Nevertheless, when
the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth? Yes. Yes. when he cometh. He'll find
his people watching. He'll find his people waiting.
He'll find his people trusting him, looking for him. Lift up
your eyes. Redemption draweth nigh. May
the Lord bless these words to our heart for Christ's sake.