There are times when we are praying that the enemy, the principalities and powers in the Spirit realm, are hindering our prayers. Sometimes they refuse to let go of their strongholds, and it seems like we pray and pray and get no where. Jesus told a parable on how we ought always to pray and to never give up.
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’”
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
The judge that didn't fear God nor care about men represents the devil. God had given all authority and dominion to Adam, but Adam forfeited that to Satan. The devil is referred to as the god of this world. Often we think that God is the one that is holding back the answer to our prayer, but, it is usually the devil that is blocking the answer to our prayers. The bible says, your adversary, the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. A lot of people don't even consider the devil when they are walking through life. They don't take it to heart that they have an enemy to their soul. The Bible says he is like an unjust judge, he has no respect for God, and he does not care for man either. He does not give justice, the bible says that he has come to steal, kill and destroy.
Jesus said in this parable that a little widow woman kept coming everyday saying, Give me justice. How many of you know that this world won't give you justice! This world will not be fair! This world will chew you up and spit you out and take you for all you got. Note that this was a widow. More than likely she did not have any wealth at the death of her husband, and wasn't nobody helping her either. There is someone today you have done all you can do, and nobody will help you or give you a break, you know just how this little widow felt. She was likely just a poor widow woman and she was being oppressed by someone. She kept asking this unjust judge to avenge her of her adversaries, because she wanted justice but each day the judge told her no. She wasn't asking for no hand outs, she just wanted what was rightfully hers. There are those of you today, you aren't asking for now hand out, you just want things to be what they should be in your life, but you can't get any justice.
What we see in this parable is the same situation that existed with Moses and Pharaoh in the old testament. Moses kept saying, "God says let my people go." Pharaoh kept saying "No." Yet, everyday God would send Moses back to say the same thing to Pharaoh again. Today it is the same. Everyday you should speak in prayer your rights as a child of God. You should insist that the devil back off of your family, and out of your life. Of course he is a lawbreaker with no respect for God, so you will have to be persistent like this little widow.
I like verses 4 and 5 it gives us a picture of how to win the battle. This widow wore the judge down. Yes, when you come daily in prayer and speak your rights, and insist on the devil moving out of your way...you will eventually wear the devil out. Every morning when I wake up, I want the devil to say, "O no, here she comes to prayer again, this woman is going to wear me out." The Bible plainly says, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Yes, you can decide in your spirit to be persistent like this little widow and before long the devil will start complaining that you are just simply wearing him out. He will flee to bother someone else who won't pray so much. I have found that if I praise God and walk in faith and pray like I should that the enemy does not like to hang around me much. It is like he wants someone that has a pity party, and someone that whines and complains. If you speak praise and thanksgiving the devil just gets up and leaves! He flees from us because our prayer simply wears him out.
Jesus ends the parable by saying, If even the devil will eventually give you what you want if you insist long enough, how much more will God give it to you speedily!
The last few sentences are the ones that grieve me the most. Jesus said, "When I return, will I find faith on the earth." He looked forward to the end times, the days we are living in now and he declared, "Will anyone on earth still be praying at all." The bible tells about the 10 virgins, 5 were foolish, and 5 were wise, but ALL of them went to sleep. How do we know that a church is asleep? A church that is asleep is a church that isn't praying. Dear God, help us to wake up, trim our lamps, and get back to praying. You WILL wear the devil out, and you WILL see your prayers answered.
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