Podcasts about persistent widow

Luke 18: 1-8 “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. ‘There was a judge in a certain city,’ he said, ‘who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.' The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don't fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!' Then the Lord said, ‘Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?’” What’s the meaning of this story? Thankfully Luke tells us completely in the first verse: “You should always pray and never give up.” Okay, so this circumstance you’re dealing with, this decision you have to make, the situation with this person – what should you do? You should PRAY ABOUT IT! Whatever it is, whoever it is, no matter what, you should always be praying about it. What exactly does that mean? Really, what would it look like to really pray about what you’re facing or what you’re going through? We can make prayer overly fussy and complicated. It is just conversation with our Father. It is a continual consideration of his input. It means you don’t just think about it – you talk to God about it. You have a decision to make? Talk to God about it. You’re frustrated with someone? Talk to God about it. You’re worried about what might happen? Talk to God about it. You don’t know what to do next? Talk to God about it. And then—and this is the part we sometimes miss—you listen. Prayer isn’t just presenting God with your list of requests and then going back to doing whatever you were going to do. Prayer is inviting God into the situation and then being willing to consider what He has to say about it. God, what do You want me to do? Is there something You’re asking me to see differently? Is there something I need to surrender? Is there something I need to do? Is there something I need to stop doing? How do You want me to respond? That is prayer. And sometimes the answer comes through Scripture. Sometimes it comes through wisdom. Sometimes through a sudden clarity or conviction in your spirit. Sometimes through circumstances. Sometimes through another person. And sometimes you simply don’t get an answer right away. But you keep the conversation open. Do you know what really happens in an open conversation with God? He goes to work on YOU! We pray asking God to change the situation. But while we’re talking to Him about the situation, He’s changing us. You’re coming to Him looking for solutions to a problem, a situation or a relationship, and while you’re talking to Him about it, He’s working on you in the process. Conversations with God give Him space to align your will with His. They give you a different perspective, a softened heart, a renewed mind and a clearer understanding of what really matters. You may come to God asking, “God, what are You going to do about them?” And somewhere in the conversation, you begin to realize He’s first doing something in you. You may come asking Him to change your circumstances, and He begins changing your attitude. You may ask Him to fix someone else, and He begins revealing something in you. You may ask Him to give you an answer, and He begins giving you wisdom. You may ask Him to take away the problem, and He begins giving you strength to walk through it. Prayer changes things. But sometimes the first thing prayer changes is YOU. That’s why we don’t give up praying when the answer doesn’t come quickly. We keep the conversation open because God is still working—even when we can’t see Him working on the situation. He’s working on your heart. He’s working on your perspective. He’s working on your faith. He’s working on your trust. He’s working on YOU. And sometimes, while you’re waiting for God to change what’s happening around you, God is doing something far more important within you. For seven years, I prayed over a situation that seemed to get worse before it got better. And now, seven years later, that prayer has been answered. Is it sweet? Ahhhh, yes it is! Has a burden been lifted? Absolutely. But let me tell you something: I’m not the same person I was when I started praying seven years ago. Those years of continual conversation with God changed me. Those moments on my knees changed me. Those tears on the days when things got worse instead of better changed me. The waiting changed me. The disappointment changed me. The desperate prayers changed me. God was doing something in me while I was asking Him to do something about my circumstances. And looking back now, I can honestly say this: I don’t wish I could have those seven years back. Not because they were easy. They weren’t. Not because I enjoyed the waiting. I didn’t. But because I can see now what God was doing in our lives during those years, and what He built in me through those years is far too valuable to trade away. I wanted an immediate answer. God was building something eternal. I wanted Him to change the situation. He was changing me. I wanted Him to restore what had been lost. He was preparing me to receive the restoration. And now I can look back and see that not one of those years was wasted. I cling to this promise found in Joel 2:25, “The Lord says, ‘I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts.'” This promise from God comes after a historic and devastating plague of locusts and a with a severe drought that had completely stripped the land of Judah. All the crops had been destroyed. The vines and the trees were dead. The entire community was in deep famine and mourning. Through years, they had watched nothing but destruction. But then God says HE WILL GIVE THEM BACK WHAT THEY LOST. God sends rain to heal the soil, he provides an OVERWHELMING harvest that overflowed their barns, he restored them with MORE than enough. But God didn’t stop there, when God gave them back what they had lost, he also drove out the enemy that had threatened them and, most importantly, he poured out his spirit. After this time of hardship, this time of loss, this time of waiting, then God brought spiritual renewal. My sister, I may not know what you’ve been waiting for and what damage has been done, but I know our God is the God who can give you back what you lost and he can make it sweeter than you ever imagined. He can drive out the enemy, bring an overwhelming harvest, and start a spiritual renewal in your entire family. For 7 years the enemy divided my family, but nothing in that time was wasted! God was doing his work and he’s given us back everything we lost. And I assure you, God loves you just as much as he loves me, and he can do the same thing for you! The point of Jesus’ story of the persistent widow is not only that you should always pray, but that you should never give up. When is it time to give up? Never. I don’t know what you may be growing weary of, but God’s word says IT’S SIMPLY NOT TIME TO GIVE UP. I don’t know what seems hopeless in your life right now, BUT GIRL, DON’T YOU GIVE UP! Jesus says, “Don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly!” YOU are God’s chosen people. There’s only one way you’ve come to this place of knowing him and believing in him – HE CHOSE YOU FIRST. That alone proves you are chosen. And because you are chosen, he hears you when you cry out to him day and night. HE HEARS YOU. Honey, he’s not ignoring you. Daniel 9:23, “The moment you began praying, a command was given.” Heaven moves when you pray. But you don’t always see that movement immediately. Why is that? If Jesus tells us God will grant justice quickly – why did I wait for 7 years – why are you still waiting? Well, quite simply, when God holds all eternity, his ‘quickly’ may not align with our ‘quickly’. He sees the bigger picture and he knows perfect timing over immediate timing. Left to myself, I would always choose immediate timing, but I’m grateful I don’t get to control that – perfect timing is always worth waiting for. And knowing that our God holds the ultimate power to restore everything that was lost during that time of wait means nothing is wasted! In the story Jesus tells of the persistent widow, she is dealing with an unfair judge who didn’t care. THAT IS NOT WHO WE ARE DEALING WITH! Our God is not reluctant, he is sovereign. In this delay while you continue to ask and pray, you’re not changing God’s heart. Sometimes that’s what I think I’m doing. I think I’m somehow going to convince God to change his will to match mine. That’s embarrassingly foolish of me. I wonder if you do the same thing? When what’s really happening is in this delay, in this waiting, in this struggle, in the seasons where things just get worse, while we keep praying and fight to keep from giving up, the heart being changed is OURS. The will being changed is OURS. Persistent prayer isn’t about wearing God down until He finally gives you what you want. God isn’t the unjust judge who has to be convinced to care about you. He already cares. Persistent prayer is about refusing to disconnect from God simply because the answer hasn’t come yet. You keep talking to Him. You keep bringing it to Him. You keep asking. You keep listening. You keep trusting. You keep going back to Him instead of trying to carry it all yourself. Because sometimes the greatest answer to prayer isn’t that God immediately changes the circumstance. Sometimes He changes you in the middle of the circumstance. He gives you peace before the problem is solved. He gives you wisdom before you know what to do. He gives you strength when you don’t have any left. He changes your perspective. He changes your heart. He reminds you who He is. And sometimes, yes, He changes the situation. But whatever the outcome, prayer keeps you connected to the One who is with you in it. And that’s why Jesus ends this story with such an interesting question: “When the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” He starts with prayer and ends with faith. The real question here isn’t, “Will you get the answer you want?” The question is, “Will you keep trusting God while you’re waiting for the answer?” Prayer is how we keep bringing our circumstances back to God instead of allowing our circumstances to become bigger than God. Pray. And don’t give up. Not because God needs to be convinced to care. But because prayer keeps your heart connected to the God who already does. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Ever feel like your prayers hit a wall? This week, we dive into Jesus' parable of the Persistent Widow, exploring why prayer is hard and why God's timing rarely feels perfect. Join us on Sunday as we look at what it really means not to give up.

In this episode of Beyond the Message, Pastors Aiden Wivell and Pastor Caleb Finlayson unpack last weeks message from Luke 17–18, exploring God's kingdom, Jesus' return, and the power of persistent prayer. They discuss the kingdom as “now but not yet” and why, rather than predicting the end times, we're called to live faithfully and stay close to Jesus.They also explore the Parable of the Persistent Widow, highlighting how persistent prayer draws us into relationship with a loving God. Prayer is more than asking—it includes thanksgiving, confession, worship, listening and simply being with God. Ultimately, the conversation asks: Are we listening to Jesus, living faithfully, and participating in God's kingdom here and now?Beyond the Message is a podcast where we unpack Sunday's message, answer your questions, share additional resources, and explore how God is speaking to us as a church.

In this message, Pastor Ken McIntyre looks at Jesus' parable of the persistent widow and what it teaches us about prayer. When we've prayed about something for a long time and nothing seems to change, it's easy to quietly stop asking.But Jesus invites us to keep praying, not because God needs to be worn down, but because He is a Father who hears us, knows what we need, and can be trusted while we wait. What's one prayer you've stopped praying that you need to pick back up?Send us Fan Mail

Series: N/AService: Sun PMType: SermonSpeaker: Chuck Durham

Jessi Marcus Jesus in Samaria: Week 10, The Persistent Widow Luke 17:37, Luke 18:1-8 website: jacobswellchurch.org facebook: jacobswellkc twitter: @jacobswell

Dalia explores Jesus' Parable of the Persistent Widow, reminding us that persistent prayer is an act of faith and that our Heavenly Father hears, loves, and faithfully cares for His children.Luke 18:1-8John 11:41-42Matthew 6:26

2026-06-14 - Morning Sermon - Jamie McCormack

Key topics:Jesus' masterful teaching style and the impact of his words (00:00)The significance of parables and their role in spiritual growth (00:29)The core message: Always pray and do not lose heart (01:00)The context of Luke 18 within Jesus' teachings on faith and prayer (01:23)An overview of Luke 18:1-8 and the importance of prayer (01:52)Insights into the characters of the widow and the unjust judge (02:22)The cultural and historical significance of widows in biblical times (07:32)The contrast between a wicked judge and a just God (14:04)The qualities of God: Just, compassionate, and responsive (14:34)The delayed response of God and the importance of patience (17:24)How persistent prayer demonstrates faithfulness (20:18)Applying the lesson: Are we persistent and bold in prayer? (21:16)The connection between prayer and faithfulness in the fruit of the Spirit (26:18)Encouragement to keep praying and trusting God's perfect timing (27:16)Practical ways to cultivate persistence in prayer within our lives and community (27:46)Connect with Me! Newsletter and Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠https://icandopodcast.com⁠⁠⁠Blogs: ⁠⁠⁠https://benjaminlee.blog⁠⁠⁠Books: ⁠⁠⁠https://benjaminlee.blog/books-2/⁠⁠⁠Apparel: ⁠⁠⁠https://benjaminlee.blog/resources/#!/⁠⁠⁠Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@icandopodcast?si=h9-JkT27jwynZZ-X

Upside Down | Parable of the Persistent Widow by Collective Church

What do you do when your prayers seem unanswered? Today we discover why God's faithfulness has never failed—even in the waiting. Connect with Journey Christian Church: Website: journeychristian.com New Here? journeychristian.com/new Need Prayer? journeychristian.com/prayer Next Steps: journeychristian.com/nextsteps Instagram: @fljourneychurch Facebook: fljourneychurch

Passage: Luke 18:1-8 We must be persistent in taking our prayers to the Righteous Judge, trusting in His character and promises. The faithful will remain steady in Christ and Christ alone and will find hope and dependence on God in prayer. 

Have you ever prayed for something so long that you finally just... stopped asking? Not because you stopped believing God could — but because you weren't sure anymore that He would. If that's where you're at, this message is for you. In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus tells the story of a widow with no power, no status, and no advocate — who refuses to stop showing up before an unjust judge. It's not a story about praying harder. It's a story about what your prayer life reveals about what you actually believe about God. In Week 5 of our "Stories: Parables" series, Pastor Kim walks through this parable and unpacks four qualities of a persistent prayer life: discipline, patience, trust, and perseverance — showing why God's delay is never His absence, and why waiting is often where He does His deepest work. If you've ever wondered whether your prayers are getting through, this message will change how you see the wait. Watch now, and if it encourages you, like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs it. Luke 18:1-8 (NIV)

What do we do when the world is not the way it's supposed to be? We all recognize injustice when we see it. We want wrongs made right, the innocent vindicated, and someone held responsible. But what happens when our systems fail? What happens when nothing can undo the harm that has already been done? In this week's message from our Parables of Jesus series, Eric looks at the story of the persistent widow and the unjust judge—and at Jesus' strange instruction for living in an unjust world: pray, and do not lose heart. Not because prayer is a substitute for pursuing justice. Not because suffering doesn't matter. But because the God we cry out to is not a distant, indifferent judge. The heart of Christianity is that our suffering is not forever—and it is not suffered alone. Jesus has entered into injustice, suffering, and even death itself. And when the world hurts us, we are invited to come to God like children running to a parent: trusting that we are heard, that God is present, and that injustice will not have the final word.

The Widow & Unjust Judge | Luke 18:1–8 What do you do when God seems silent? In Week 4 of our Parables series, Pastor David Gaunt teaches from the Parable of the Persistent Widow. Through a story of relentless faith and unwavering perseverance, Jesus encourages His followers to keep praying, keep trusting, and keep believing—even when answers don't come quickly. You'll discover: Why persistence matters in prayer How faith grows in seasons of waiting What Jesus teaches about trusting God's timing Don't let a delayed answer convince you that God isn't listening. - NEXT STEPS  Looking to take your next step?  We want to help! Text the word NEXT to 909-281-7797 or visit sunrisechurch.org/nextsteps. - GIVE TO SUNRISE CHURCH Imagine what God can do through our giving. You can give today at sunrisechurch.org/give  - FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunriseChurchCA  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunrisechurchca  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/SunriseChurch 

Jesus lifts up a widow as a model of faithful persistence. In a world marked by injustice, this parable encourages us not to lose heart but to continue praying with courage and trust. God is not indifferent or unjust. He is faithful and compassionate, attentive to the cries of His people.⚫CONNECT WITH US:

God honors and responds to PERSISTENCE in our prayers. Don't give up, even if you feel God is ignoring you. Discover the power of persistence as we dive into The Parable of the Persistent Widow. Know the power of prayer as you've likely never experienced before.

God honors and responds to PERSISTENCE in our prayers. Don't give up, even if you feel God is ignoring you. Discover the power of persistence as we dive into The Parable of the Persistent Widow. Know the power of prayer as you've likely never experienced before.

This is Pastor Ken Behr with Faith Dialogue. Thank you for joining me today. Stay in the Word, stay encouraged, and keep looking up—for our redemption draws near. I'll see you next time.  

Series Title: Old Paths New Power Scripture Passage: Luke 18:1-8 Stream Date: May 31, 2026

The Power of Persistence | Stories Jesus Told | Pastor Stephen Mizell What do you do when heaven feels silent? In this episode of the Stories Jesus Told series, Pastor Stephen Mizell explores the Parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke 18 and challenges us to stay faithful in prayer even when answers feel delayed. This conversation-centered teaching dives into spiritual disciplines, perseverance, and the character of God. Prayer is not about convincing a reluctant God to respond — it's about learning to trust a good Father through every season. In this message: • Why we often feel discouraged in prayer • The difference between transactional faith and relational faith • How God uses waiting seasons to form us spiritually • Why consistency matters more than intensity • The role of grit and persistence in spiritual growth • How understanding God's goodness transforms prayer

Listen to this week's sermon, Parables In Practice preached by Rev. Benjamin Kandt from Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:1-8. The Parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke 18 frames persistent prayer not as a technique for getting what you want from God but as an act of faith and defiance against the brokenness of this world. When God delays, it is not denial, and the call to keep praying is ultimately a call to keep believing.

Have you ever struggled with the concept of prayer? Have you wondered if prayer actually moves the hand of God or if it's just a religious practice to get our hearts right? Let's dive into an often overlooked and misunderstood parable - the Persistent Widow. This is a story about a wicked judge who refuses to hear the pleas of this one widow. This story shows us the power of annoyance and pestering but also reveals a contrast to God's character. Go to JesusPodcast.com and receive daily devotionals about Jesus.Today's Bible verse is Mark 16:6 from the King James Version.Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Pray.com is the digital destination for faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Persistent WidowBonus Episode with Rev Charles CollinsLuke 18:1-8There's a parable of Jesus in Luke 18, in which the Master encouraged hIs disciples to pray - to keep on praying, seeking the face of God. In the parable the believer is likened to a widow, helpless, dependent and oppressed by an adversary, who continually brings her plea for justice before a judge. But the judge in the parable is a selfish, uncaring man, an unrighteousness judge - who only reluctantly answers the widow's petitions in case she begins to make a nuisance of herself. Many people are confused about this parable. The widow is an apt characterisation of the believer, - but why would Jesus use the analogy of an unjust judge for the God who is holy and righteous, and is never reluctant about hearing our prayers, - and whose prescriptions for us are always for our good? It's a perplexing one indeed, and it has left many Christians scratching their heads in confusion. In this message, recorded live at Ballymacashon, Rev Charles Collins, the minister of Connsbrook Avenue Congregational Church in East Belfast solves the riddle, and shows how this parable is a wonderful encouragement for modern believers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Message from Perry Marshall on May 3, 2026

We learn Jesus' simple command to pray and not lose heart, then we watch how the persistent widow exposes what we really believe about God's character. We leave with a challenge to reject prayerlessness, ask boldly, and rebuild our identity as a house of prayer. • Jesus' instruction to always pray and not lose heart • the contrast between an unrighteous judge and a powerless widow • why the parable is a how much more argument about God's goodness • God's readiness to answer and His personal invitation as Father • Jesus' question about faith when He returns • prayerlessness as practical atheism and idolatry • why we often ask too little and how to pray bigger prayers • the story of our prayer room and the fruit of a praying church If this encourages you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. What's one bold prayer you're ready to start praying today?

Bartimaeus was blind, broke, and sitting on the side of the road. His desperation led him to shout past the crowd—who were telling him to shut up—and to get the attention of the one who could do something. This Sunday we're talking about the kind of bold, persistent, holy-hustle faith that refuses to stay seated and discovers that Jesus is already waiting, already asking, already wanting to hear all about how he can answer your deepest needs. Check out the weekly sermon here or on our SRBC podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. This Sunday we're exploring:Why faith is not passive and what bold, persistent faith actually looks like in practiceThe question Jesus asks twice in Mark 10, and why he answers it differently each time — What do you want?Why the version of Christianity that tells you to want nothing and need nothing is unbiblical and antithetical to the Jesus wayHow sacred striving and holy hustle are not opposed to grace but the key that unlocks the grace that awaits youHow the mature follower of Jesus knows who they are, knows what they need, and is satisfied with the God's answers to their requests Like what you hear? We'd love to know.At South Run, we read every message personally. Whether you have a question, want to share how God is moving in your life, or are thinking about visiting in person, this is the place to start. If you click the link below, Pastor Eric will personally reach out to you. Listening online? Let us know. Sermon Transcript What Do You Want? — Sermon TranscriptSouth Run Baptist Church | Springfield, VAPastor Eric GilchrestMark 10:46–52This is a full sermon transcript from South Run Baptist Church in Springfield, Virginia. In this message, Pastor Eric Gilchrest preaches on the healing of blind Bartimaeus from Mark 10:46–52. This sermon is part of the ongoing "The Jesus Way" transformation series and addresses the question Jesus asks Bartimaeus — "What do you want me to do for you?" — exploring what it means to bring our deepest desires to God, why active faith matters, and how to pursue the abundant life with what Pastor Eric calls "holy hustle."Opening Prayer: The Hope and Possibility That Children RepresentHeavenly Father, I thank you for these children, for the life that they represent, the energy, the possibility, the hope of their future. They are a reminder to us all, the adults in the room, of just what is possible when we give our lives over to you. And so, Lord, today we do so again, and we ask that you speak to us right here, right now. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.What Do You Desire from God? A Question That Broke a Pastor's BrainA few years ago, I was part of a small group of pastors. We met about once a month, and it was over Zoom, and in the first meeting that we had together, it was in person, and it was for a full day. And during this full day session, we really got to know each other well. We hadn't really met each other prior to this, and so there was just a lot of sharing, a lot of honesty, and then periodically in the meeting, we would be given a prompt that we would then have to go journal about for about 30 minutes or so.The very first prompt that we were given and we were supposed to go journal about was really quite simple. And it's a question, which is: what do you desire from God? What do you desire from God? And I remember I took the question, and I still have the journal, and I went off to my own little place, and I wrote the question at the top of the journal, and I sat there, and I felt like my brain was breaking, because despite 40 years of living on this earth at that point, I had never really asked that question. Like, I was always tuned to ask, what does God want, right? What does God desire from me? And I think this is a very good question, too, but they were asking me to think about, what do I desire? Like, what do I want in this life?And this is the question Jesus asks to Bartimaeus today — what do you want from me, is what he asks him. And it's the question I think you should be asking of yourself. And the truth is this, right? Even if you say, well, I don't have a desire, or I'm not supposed to have one — it's always there. It's lurking underneath. You're just kind of squashing it down. There are things sitting in your heart right now. You just simply need to be honest about them, and you need to bring them to God, and you need to see, like, God, is this what you desire? And then we tune our desires with the desires of God. And God may say, as he said to Bartimaeus, a big yes, be healed. And he may say no. And we must learn what it means to receive both of these answers.But with this sermon, my hope for you today is that as we continue down this path together of the Jesus way, the abundant life way, we get serious about what it is that we actually want ourselves in this life, but then we do something about it — that we don't just sit still and we don't wait for the thing to happen and we sit on our hands and do nothing. We actually then pursue and we proceed to go somewhere.Mark 10:46–52: Blind Bartimaeus on the Road to JerichoJesus is asking Bartimaeus today, what is it that you want me to do for you? And I actually think God is asking this same question of each of us. What do you want me to do for you? The truth is this: it's obvious that only you can live your life. No one's going to live it for you. God's not even going to live your life for you. And so part of being a follower of Jesus and finding our way down that path toward abundance is walking with an active kind of faith — moving and doing, pursuing, working in the world. And as we do so, coming back to God regularly, daily, asking God, is this what I should be doing in the world? Use me today for your ends.Let's go ahead and pick up Mark. If you've got your scriptures, we're in Mark 10:46 to 52. If you don't have a Bible with you, there's definitely one in the pew back, and I would encourage you to pull that out right now.Jesus is nearing the end of his life. He's heading out of Jericho and actually into Jerusalem for the very last time, and this is where we pick him up. It says:"They came to Jericho, and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside."I really want you to envision this scene. I want you to put yourself into it. I want you to be Bartimaeus. I want you to sit there blinded for decades. I want you to be the beggar on the side of the road who is desperate. And then you know who Jesus is, and he's walking by. I want you to ask yourself what you would do in this situation.We continue in verse 47: "When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. Have mercy on me." And he cries out. Oh, you might do this too, right? You might cry out and you know this is your one shot. You're going to shoot your shot and you are going to find that man that can actually do something.But then there's probably some of you in the room who might think, well, he's a very important person and he's got other big things that he needs to do. He's on his way to save the world, in fact, and probably doesn't want to be bothered by my petty needs. And so maybe I'll just continue to sit here and do nothing. But this is not what Bartimaeus does, right? Bartimaeus shouts out, and he says, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. Help me out. I'm in a desperate place.And he goes on. "Many rebuked him, and they told him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, Son of David, have mercy on me." Second time around, he is told by the crowds, be silent. Stop speaking up. And what does he do? Does he listen to the crowds and say, yeah, they're right, I probably should just sit here and be quiet? No, he shouts out all the more. And he says, Jesus, help me.Bartimaeus as the Opposite of Vanity: Seeking Jesus Above the Crowd's OpinionNow, if you were here last week, we talked about vanity, right? And if you remember what vanity is, it's being more worried about the crowds and what they think than about the one audience you should be seeking. Bartimaeus is a beautiful example of the opposite of vanity. He cares nothing about what the crowds think. He is not worried at all if they think he is immoral, if they think he is not worthy of Jesus' attention, if they think whatever they might think of him. He's a nuisance on the side of the road. He does not care about them. He cares about the only one in the room who needs to care for him. And so he shouts out all the more. Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.Jesus hears him and stops, says, call him to me. And they called the blind man, and they said to him, take heart, get up, he's calling you. And what does he do? He throws off his cloak, he sprang up, and he came to Jesus. And Jesus says the question of the day: "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said, "Rabbi, teacher, let me recover my sight." And Jesus says, "Go your way. Your faith has made you well." And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.Holy Hustle: The Active, Pursuing Faith of BartimaeusA couple key pieces of this that I want to draw out — really just one big one — is the nature of his faith, Bartimaeus. It is an active faith. He is pursuing Jesus. He is shouting out, not once but twice. He is not allowing the crowds to stop him. He is not allowing people to say, no, no, no, go over here and do this other thing. He is going to pursue Jesus actively, and he's going to go after the one who can indeed help him. And then when he gets the call, what does he do? He doesn't sit there in the dust. He throws it all off. The cloak, by the way, is everything he owns. And he leaves it all behind, unlike the rich man who appears just prior to this. He gives it all up, and he begins to follow Jesus in this moment.This is what Bartimaeus does, and he represents what I'm calling this morning holy hustle. Holy hustle. He is somebody who in a holy kind of way is hustling and doing something to reach the ends that not only he desires, but it turns out God desires these ends for him as well.The Persistent Widow of Luke 18: Another Portrait of Holy HustleLuke tells the same story about Bartimaeus. Luke tells it slightly differently. This will appear, if you want to look it up at some other point, in Luke chapter 18. But what Luke does in 18 is he pairs it with what happens in Luke 1 to, I want to say, 6 or 8. And in that little passage, Jesus tells a parable. And this parable is about a widow. And it's a widow who has been treated unjustly — something has been done to her that is unjust. And if you recall this parable, what does she do? Middle of the night, she goes and she finds the judge, the one who is supposed to mete out justice in the world, and she goes and she knocks on his door.It turns out he is an unjust judge. He doesn't really care about her at all. But what does she do? She knocks again, and then she goes again, and then she goes again, and she is persistent. She doesn't stop. She too has this holy hustle. And then finally, what happens in this parable? Well, this unjust judge who the passage says is evil and unrighteous, well, he finally relents and he gives her what she wants because he's just tired of her asking.And then it says, but if that's an unjust person, if that's somebody who is evil, imagine what a good God does when he hears our needs, our desires, and our prayers. What does that God do? Well, he looks upon us, as Bartimaeus asks for, with mercy.The Plastic Lawnmower: What Grace Actually Looks Like in PracticeThere is a holy hustle about the persistent widow. There is a holy hustle about Bartimaeus this morning. Now, all of this, by the way, gets at the nature of maybe one of the Bible's biggest topics, which is grace and how grace works. And I'm going to guess that at this point, some of you might be a little uncomfortable with the notion that you are somehow doing something to affect God's grace in your life. Because many of us have grown up in a Protestant tradition where we recite good Protestant phrases like sola gratia, by grace alone, and it's all God's doing and it's none of our doing. I'm not going to necessarily take aim directly at that, just close to it.Because what I think about how grace works is there is a part that you and I must play in it. Bartimaeus, for example, he could have sat there and said nothing, done nothing, waited, watched Jesus walk by, and then he would have remained blind for the rest of his life. But this is not what he does, is it? He shouts out. He is active. His faith pushes him to do something.I want you to think of it this way. I meant to bring a prop, by the way. I don't bring props often, and I was really happy about this one, and now I'm very sad that I didn't. So I want you to imagine, up on this stage is one of those plastic lawnmowers that kids have. Do you know these? We have one at our house still. A child who is five years old says to his dad, I want to help you mow the lawn. Now the dad chooses to give him the fake plastic lawnmower that does very little real good, but the fake plastic lawnmower is still something. And then the dad goes out and grabs his real metal lawnmower, one that is quite dangerous, but very effective. And he begins to mow. Well, alongside him is this five-year-old with the plastic mower, thinking that he is mowing the grass very well alongside his father.This is not a perfect analogy, but that little boy is doing something — something very important. He is showing up. He is engaging with the father. He is participating alongside of him. It looks like he's mowing, even though he's clearly not. If someone walked by to see this scene, they would know immediately that the father is doing all of the mowing out there. But when the grass is finally cut, and the father and the son walk inside, sweating profusely, and grab a drink, both of them have had a hard day's work together, and no doubt, the five-year-old son will look at the dad and be proud of what they did together. Did the son do anything? Yes, he did. Did the father do everything? Yes, he did.But you can also imagine a very different scene in which the five-year-old does not ask to mow with the dad. He just stayed inside and he watched. He wasn't part of it at all. He didn't ask the father for a mower, and he didn't walk alongside the father every step of the way. When the grass is cut and the father is inside getting the long drink, will that son look at the yard and say to the dad, look what we've done together, dad? No, he will not.This is what grace looks like. It is God who is doing it all. Obviously, it is Jesus who heals Bartimaeus. Jesus effectuates the grace. Jesus does the work of healing that blind man. Jesus does what Bartimaeus cannot. Bartimaeus sat there for decades, blind, begging, and could do nothing about it. And Jesus comes along, and he does what Bartimaeus simply cannot do — much like the five-year-old cannot do anything about really mowing that lawn. But he can show up. And he can be with his dad. And he can choose not to stay indoors, but to go outdoors and to mow with the father.I think the showing up is what Jesus rewards here. It's not that Bartimaeus has done anything, and yet he's done something — something very important. He has opened himself to the grace that God offers. That is what Jesus is asking of you right now. He is walking by and he wants you to call out. Maybe to be obnoxious and to forget about what the crowds are saying and to seek his grace.Two Traps to Avoid: The Genie Lamp and the Bootstraps TrapNow I will warn you, there are two traps that we should talk about. I don't want you to be confused. The first has to do with the play that I saw last night, Aladdin, in which there is a genie that pops out, and you rub the lamp, and you simply ask for your wish, and the genie says, your wish is my command, and he gives it to you. This is not how God works. Not at all, in fact. And we know this with certainty, because if you turn with me back to Mark chapter 10, I'll show you something that would be easily missed.You see, if you go to the passage right before this one, it's a passage about two men, James and John, the brothers, and they come to Jesus, and they have a request themselves. And so in verse 35, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and they said to him, teacher, we want you to do something for us, whatever we ask of you. We want to rub the lamp, right? And we want our wish to be your command. And so he says to them, interestingly, what do you want me to do for you? This is the precise question — like word for word — what he says to Bartimaeus, right? What do you want me to do for you? And they proceed to say, well, we want to sit at your right hand and your left hand in glory, right? We are self-seeking in this moment, they may as well say out loud. And Jesus says, you don't know what you're asking. Sometimes this is God's answer to us. We might be in prayer and rubbing what we think is the God lamp and saying, God, we want you to give me this thing. And sometimes God says back to us, you don't know what you're asking for.But sometimes it's actually a little deeper than that. I don't know if you caught the 60 Minutes this week, but there's a former senator from Nebraska named Ben Sasse. He's in his mid-50s. And in December of last year, he was given a cancer diagnosis, and he should not and probably will not make it to the end of this year. He is an honorable man. He is, in terms of politicians, we'll say he's one of the good ones. And he is a man of deep faith. And it is interesting to watch him because he has certainly asked God to take this cancer away from me. And God's answer has been to this point, no. No, I am not going to take that away from you. And this is sometimes the answer we get from God. Our desire, our will, our hopes, our dreams are much like Bartimaeus' — and we want to be healed of the blindness or whatever it is that's besetting us. But sometimes God says, no, I have other plans.And then Ben Sasse shows us a way forward. Because he will stand there and he will say, I trust the God of the universe to have a plan that is in all of our best interests. And so I am going to use the rest of my life, the life that I have left, that God has given me, and I am going to pour life into this world as long as I have breath in my lungs. And so this is what he has set out to do for however many months he has left.The second trap we might fall into — I was struggling to find a name for it — it might be like the bootstraps trap or the entitlement trap or the ownership trap, which is to say that that little boy that goes out there and mows the lawn with his father might turn around and then tell one of his friends, hey, look what I did, right? I am the keeper of this lawn. This is my domain. I own all of this. Look at how great I am. The holy hustle only remains holy if you don't fall into the bootstraps trap, which is to say that when the success comes, if the success comes, you always recognize that it's grace. From top to bottom, it's grace. And so you always point back to the one giving the grace, and you give him thanks for the successes that you have in life.Three More Traps: Suppressing Desire, Dying to the Wrong Things, and the Trap of InactivityBut there are some traps that this whole sermon has been trying to keep you out of, and I want to make sure you catch those as well. One of those traps says that we have or are supposed to have no desires or wants or needs. But as I started with, this is just silly. Of course, you will always have desires, so I think it's better to simply name them and to start working on them and to try to figure out if they are holy or not, if they are God's desires or not.Another trap says something along the lines of, we're supposed to die to ourselves, right? And this is true. The scriptures talk about this all the time. But sometimes we end up dying to the wrong things. We are supposed to die to that which makes us unholy, that which works against the grace of God working in us and through us. But instead, some in this room, and myself included, have fallen into the trap where we die to noble things and good things, things that actually give us life — maybe even desires that God himself has planted deep in your soul. And we say, we're not allowed to have those desires. I'm supposed to die to that old self. And to you, I would simply say, it's quite possible God has planted that seed in you and is really trying to grow it and is trying to nourish it and wants you to nourish it because that part of you might be the very thing that is going to change the world that is all around you. But this requires wisdom, knowing what parts of yourself to die to and what parts of yourself to live into — this is a life's journey. And it requires wise guides and people in your life, being discipled by someone else or others, coming to church on Sundays.Finally, there is this other trap. And this other trap is the trap of inactivity. It's just sitting there, waiting for God to move or to do something. It's as if Bartimaeus had not called out to Jesus, or the persistent widow had not walked next door to the judge's home and knocked on it ten times. The trap of inactivity says, well, God will do what God will do when God wants to do it. And I would encourage you, maybe the right thing to do is to get up, and to shout out, and to be a little obnoxious, and to go knock on somebody's door, and to do something about what God is trying to do in your life.This walking with Jesus on the narrow road to life requires a tremendous amount of wisdom. And here's why. The scriptures tell us routinely to wait on God. And so one might mistake what Bartimaeus is doing as not waiting on God. Bartimaeus is maybe being too active. And so it requires wisdom to know when I lean in and when I wait. This again requires good friends and wise counsel and people who are helping you discern what to do with your life.Easter Morning, the Amphitheater, and the Shout That Surprised a PastorOn Easter morning this year, in that early service, many of us gathered outside at the amphitheater down there, and something remarkable happened, for me at least. I don't know if you remember this, but for me it was a moment. You see, I didn't think it was going to work, and then it did work. I said to the congregation, I want you to be thinking of something that you're hoping for this year, something that you're dreaming about, something that you want, a desire that's deep down in you, and I'm going to ask you to shout it out. We're not doing this again this morning, by the way. And then I thought, well, no one's gonna do it, or they're just gonna whisper it. And so I kind of prompted it, and then we got to the point where I asked, okay, shout it out now — and like everybody shouted at the same time. And I was shocked because you clearly had some strong desires deep down in your hearts that you want, that you hope for.And I want you this morning to name those again. Not out loud this time. But I want you to name them in your heart and in your head. Because the first step toward living a faithful life is to name what we desire, to start walking toward it, and then allowing God to course correct along the way. To hustle, but to make sure it's a holy hustle.What Is Your Deep Desire? God Is Asking You the Same Question He Asked BartimaeusAnd so this morning, just to kind of prompt you and pump the well a little bit, you might be hoping or longing or desiring for one of these things. To be a present, engaged father. To find a spouse. To leave the job that is killing you and find the courage to do what you were made for. You might be desiring to find freedom from that thing that you've never told anyone about. To get sober. To get into the right school or the right grad program. To experience the real and living God rather than just study about him. To find a community where you actually belong, where someone knows you and you know them. To have one real friend. To eat right and to lose weight. To see a family member come to faith. To leave something behind that outlasts you.I don't know what your deep desire is. But God wants to know. And God is coming to you this morning and asking you the same question he asked Bartimaeus. What do you want? It starts with honesty. And God's answer may be no. But God's answer may be yes. And he's just waiting for you to say it out loud and to start walking toward him.Because there's this other part of the story that would be easily missed again, but I don't want us to miss it. Because right at the end of all of this, Bartimaeus comes forward, and he tells Jesus what he wants, and Jesus heals him. And then it says he followed him on the way. Which is everything that Jesus is trying to get us to do this morning — to follow him along the road. And our hopes and our dreams and our desires, it should all be aiming for that road of life, for that way of Jesus that he wants to walk us down.But God is not going to live this life for you. And yet, paradoxically, he is the one who will enable all the work you are supposed to be doing. He's got his mower out and he's ready. You just have to pick up your plastic mower, head outside, and walk where Jesus walks the path ahead of you, following where he has prepared a way. A path that is intended for your good and for the good of all around you.Let us pray together. Jesus, we come this morning and we hear echoing in our ears, what do you want me to do for you? What do you want me to do for you? God, sometimes we don't answer that question out of fear. Fear that we actually don't have faith, that we don't trust you enough to give it over, that you might disappoint us, that maybe you're not even really there. And so God, this morning, give us that faith to trust you enough, to hand over our life's deepest desires to you. And God, whatever answer that is that comes back, whether it's that resounding yes or a quiet no or a I want to make you holy — God, I pray this morning that we trust you, that we have the faith of Bartimaeus to leap up and to ask you for exactly what we want and then to follow you along the way. We pray this in Christ's holy name. Amen.South Run Baptist Church | 8712 Selger Drive, Springfield, VA 22153 | Sunday Worship at 11amServing Springfield, Burke, West Springfield, Lorton, Alexandria, Fort Belvoir, and Franconia, Virginia.Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Join Izzy, Michelle, and Zach as they unpack the Parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke 18, exploring what it truly means to pray without giving up, why God is nothing like the unjust judge, and how persistence in prayer transforms us rather than persuading a reluctant God. This episode kicks off week two of the parables series, diving into Jesus' powerful story about a widow who relentlessly pursues justice from a judge who neither fears God nor cares about people, and what it reveals about God's heart for us when we cry out to Him. Discover why Jesus tells us the explicit purpose of this parable before He even begins the story, what it means to always pray and not give up when prayer feels like hard work, and why spiritual disciplines like prayer are more like going to the gym than we realise. The conversation tackles the reality of unanswered prayers, the tension between God's power and our experience of waiting, and why delays in answered prayer are often about changing us rather than convincing God. Learn what it means to fall back on love when prayers feel dry, how to reflect on God's faithfulness in the small things, and why no one is disqualified from coming to God in prayer no matter how much hurt, rejection, or distance they've experienced. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup 00:54 Reading Luke 18: The Parable of the Persistent Widow 02:02 Jesus Knows We Struggle with Prayer 08:02 The Unjust Judge: Understanding God's Opposite 11:22 God is Not Reluctant: He Wants to Answer Prayer 12:54 What to Do When God Seems Silent 13:31 Prayer is Like Going to the Gym 15:05 Prayer Changes Us, Not God 20:35 Falling Back on Love: Why We Keep Praying 21:58 The Story of the Shoes: God Cares About Small Things 26:32 The Widow: No One is Disqualified from Prayer 31:16 When the Son of Man Comes: Faith and Persistence 33:54 Closing Thoughts and Next Week's Parable STRUGGLING WITH PRAYER? YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS THE POWER OF PERSISTENT PRAYER | LUKE 18 FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thewayuk/ FOLLOW US ON TIK TOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewayuk/ Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]

Teacher: Rob Zimmermann Download Sermon Notes  Watch Episode Give Online: http://westgatechapel.org/give Connect With Us: http://westgatechapel.org/connect Chapters (00:00:00) - Heavenly Worship(00:05:13) - Wonders of Westgate Chapel Sunday(00:06:52) - Wonders of the World(00:08:27) - Communion(00:21:44) - All my Life You Have Been So Good(00:23:04) - Germany Mission Team Share Stories(00:30:10) - Prayer for the Germany Team(00:31:51) - Giving of Our Tithe and Offerings(00:33:18) - The King Is Coming(00:34:51) - The Parable of the Persistent Widow(00:41:19) - Luke 18: A Warning for the Kingdom Coming(00:47:18) - The Long Wait for Valentine's Day(00:51:54) - The Judge in Jesus' Parable(00:55:39) - The Parable of The Widow(00:57:42) - The Unrighteous Judge in the Parable(01:05:39) - The Righteous Judge(01:06:41) - Putting Our Trust in the Righteous Judge(01:07:24) - Luke 18: Will He Find Faith?(01:15:35) - He Will Never Fail(01:25:19) - Wrap Our Time Together: Church

We continue our series in the Gospel of Luke, one of four eyewitness accounts of Jesus' words and works. In them we learn of his life, death, and resurrection to rescue his people from among the neighborhoods of Seattle and the nations of the world. Today, we reach the famous “Parable of the Persistent Widow”. Through it we're encouraged to not lose heart by continuing to pray in faith. Audio | Notes | Luke 18:1-8

In this message, Pastor Rhonda Davis uses the Parable of the Unjust Judge from Luke 18 to illustrate that God is a just and loving Father who is moved by the persistent, heartfelt cries of His children. She emphasizes that while an earthly judge may be motivated by selfishness, God delights in our prayers and "runs to the cry" of those who are hurting or in need. Ultimately, the message encourages believers to never lose heart, teaching that their persistent petitions arise like incense before the throne of a God who is eager to intervene. Psalm 61:2–4 – The foundational call to be led to the "rock that is higher than I" when the heart is overwhelmed. Luke 18:1–8 – The Parable of the Persistent Widow and the Unjust Judge, emphasizing that we should always pray and not lose heart. Isaiah 40:27–28 – A reminder that God does not faint or grow weary, and our "just claim" is never passed over. Proverbs 15:8 – Highlighting that the prayer of the upright is God's "delight." Matthew 7:7 – The command to ask, seek, and knock with persistence. Psalm 141:1–2 – David's plea for his prayers to be set before God as "incense." Revelation 5:8 – The heavenly vision of golden bowls full of incense, which are the "prayers of the saints." Hebrews 2:17–18 – The description of Jesus as a faithful High Priest who is able to "succor" (run to the aid of) those who are tempted and suffering. Psalm 18:6 & 116:1 – Declarations of God hearing the cry of the distressed.