This Is How You Should Pray

Now, Jesus told them a parable, for their benefit that they should pray always and not give up. (Luke 18:1)

Jesus tells them the parable of the persistent widow so that they would know it is proper to pray always. There was a judge in a certain city who neither feared God nor really cared about the people either and there was a widow who kept coming before him saying 'vindicate me against my adversary' but he would not until finally, her persistence pays off, the judge saying so she will leave me alone I will vindicate her. (Luke 18:1-8) Jesus tells this parable so that we should know how to pray.

Now the Lord said here what the unrighteous judge says? will not God do for His elect who cry out to him day and night...(Luke 18:6)

Now, God is not like the unrighteous judge that you have to bother until you get justice. And the parable is directed at praying in general not just for seeking justice, though we should let God vindicate for any offense done to us. But here is the point, "will not God do for His elect who cry out to him day and night." It is a similar point to what Jesus said, "if you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11) If unrighteous men know how to treat their children good, how much more will God do for his children.

For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:8-14)

I read this somewhere, the early church would say "Deus pro nobis" which means “God for us.” I believe God teaches us his providence by answering our prayers. It builds confidence in our relationship with him. "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him." (1 John 5:14-15) We see some conditions, we do not always get what we want, it must be according to his will, which means his timing. Sometimes it might seem like God gives you a scorpion when you ask for an egg but God doesn't tempt us with evil. He allows suffering to bring about his glory, which is for our benefit, our Father gives good things to those who ask him!

I tell you he will do to them in time, however, the Son of Man's coming, to find faith on earth?

This is how we should pray, we should be persistent in prayer, praying always in faith. We are not to think I prayed once, if I pray again it is a lack of belief, no, persistent is a sign that you believe, are confident God will answer your prayer. In this is endurance which will prove our faith, which proving produces hope, which doesn't put us to shame, but from love springs expectation. We are to continue asking, seeking, and knocking. God is for us. Hear what Jesus is saying, will not God do for His elect who cry out to him day and night...