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Will He Find Faith? ~ Women Who Persevere

May 22, 2019 By Jennifer H. Yates 1 Comment

22 May
Will He Find Faith_ Women Who Persevere

When you have prayed, fasted, worshiped, obeyed, and called on the Lord in every way you know how, and the answer still doesn’t come, what do you do?

If you are like me, you cry and complain and look for someone to listen to your struggles and hopefully share a word that will make you feel better. And when that doesn’t help, you begin to doubt yourself and wonder what you’ve done wrong or how you missed Him.

Will He Find Faith? ~ Women Who Persevere

It’s hard not to just give up in despair. Today as I was deep in prayer on this subject, I thought about the Parable of the Persistent Widow.

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”

Luke 18:1, ESV

I love that we get the reason for the parable in the first sentence–that we should “always pray and not lose heart.”

Keep coming to Jesus.

“He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, “Give me justice against my adversary.”‘”

Luke 18:2-3

Jesus shared this story with His disciples and used a widow as His main character. A widow in those days represented the poorest and most vulnerable of society, because without a husband, she had no one to care for her needs or seek justice on her behalf.

Not only that, but she is dealing with both an adversary and an unworthy judge who doesn’t fear God nor care about others. We aren’t told anything regarding her foe or how she had been wronged, but only that she sought justice against her adversary.

We too have an adversary.

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

1 Peter 5:8

Be watchful.

Sometimes we blame the devil for every problem we face, when many of our troubles are the result of our own choices. But sometimes we do the opposite: We blame ourselves for every problem and fail to see the enemy behind the scenes wreaking havoc.

We must be watchful for the work of the enemy in our lives, seeking the Father to come to our aid and work on our behalf.

Thank God, we have a better Judge than the one in this story.

“‘For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, “Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down with her continual coming!”‘”

Luke 18:4-5

I love it! She refused to give up or give in. She would not lose heart. She continued to cry out for justice against her adversary because she believed.

Don’t give up!

Sometimes, we get so weary and tired of the battle that we are tempted to throw our hands up and just say, “You win, Devil.”

But Jesus told this parable so we would not lose heart!

“‘And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.'”

Luke 18:6-7

If a judge who doesn’t love God or people will give in to faith and persistence, how much more will a loving God give His children justice against our enemy?

You may feel that you have been crying out day and night already. You might read this and think, “Well, God has obviously forgotten about me because I’m still waiting for an answer.”

Listen. God is the Righteous Judge. And what may seem slow in coming to us is right on time with Him. What looks like a “no” to our requests is always God working for our good, even when we can’t see it and don’t feel it (Romans 8:28).

What seems to be failure and darkness and despair all around us is just the clouds obscuring the brightness of the sun. He is still here. He is with us. And He is working on our behalf (Romans 8:34).

“‘Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?'”

Luke 18:8

That’s the real question.

Jesus told this parable in the context of a discussion with His disciples about His second coming. It was a warning to them that in the last days many would be going on with life as if they had nothing to fear, living for themselves without a care in the world.

He reminded them as He had taught them before that “whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it” (17:33).

Have faith in God.

Jesus was teaching us to keep our focus on Him, even unto death, even when things look bad, even when the answers don’t come. We live for Him and we pray and we don’t give up.

Even in the face of suffering and unanswered questions, we don’t lose heart. Because the adversary is real, and he’s relentless. But he’s not victorious.

We are victorious (1 John 5:4). We are redeemed (Galatians 3:13). We are the overcomers (1 John 4:4). We are seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), and promised an eternity that far outweighs the troubles and trials of this world (2 Corinthians 4:17).

We just have to believe it.

“Resist him [the devil], standing firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

1 Peter 5:9-11

Yes ma’am. You just keep crying out to Jesus. He will find faith on this earth.

Going Deeper

Want more encouragement from women of the Bible? Get my book, Just Like Us: 7 Ways Biblical Women Were Just Like Us (And Why It Matters).

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Filed Under: Prayer Tagged With: Bible studies for Women, Bible study, Bible study for women, Christian devos for women, Christian devotional, Christian devotional for women, Christian women, Devotions for Women, faith, Jennifer H Yates, Jennifer Hayes Yates, parable of the persistent widow, perseverance in prayer, persistent prayer, prayer, prayer ministry, prayer strategies, quiet time, quiet time devos for busy women, Will He Find Faith? Women Who Persevere

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About Jennifer H Yates

About Jennifer H Yates

Hey, friends! I'm Jen--wife, mama, and empty-nester. I love to write, read, and drink coffee, especially with friends.

I've found that many women struggle to find time and focus to grow their relationship with God through studying His Word. I encourage and challenge women with practical strategies and helpful resources for quality study in as little as fifteen minutes a day.

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We all have a place in the Kingdom. ⁠
⁠
Click

We all have a place in the Kingdom. ⁠
⁠
Click link in bio to read post.⁠
⁠
#prayerwarrior #bedeeplyrooted #prayerispowerful #praywithoutceasing #christianpost #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #growingyourfaith #womenoftheworld #intheword #lampandlight #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an
"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel--the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 1:1-4, NIV).
All of Scripture, all of history, all of time has been about Jesus Christ, Son of God. 
Do you know Him? You can. His life, death, and resurrection are historical fact. All so that you could know Him and have eternal life.
Jesus loves you! ❤

"The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee fo
"The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment" (Luke 23:55-56).
Can you imagine the horror these women had witnessed? Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others had followed Jesus and helped support his ministry (Luke 8:3).
Now all their hopes had been crushed as they stood at a distance and witnessed Jesus' agonizing death on the cross (Luke 23:49). His own mother had to stand by helplessly as her son cried out, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46).
As we women often do, they looked for a way to still serve Him, even in His death, by preparing His body for burial. Sometimes, it's the little things.
When our hearts are breaking and we think we can't take another breath, sometimes we need something in our hands--a burial spice, a casserole, a text that says I'm here.
We can't make the hurt go away, but we can channel it into something useful, something hopeful, something comforting.
As they rested on the Sabbath, I'm sure they anticipated the opportunity to see Him one more time, to minister to Him once more with the spices and perfumes they had prepared.
Hearts crushed, hands open.
Grieved but grateful. Resting but ready.
Because if there was anything they knew for sure, it's that Jesus was no ordinary man. And when hearts are turned toward Him, anything can happen.

God never called us to “blind” faith. We may b
God never called us to “blind” faith. We may believe without seeing, but faith is being sure and certain of what we don’t see, not what we don’t know. ⁠
The Israelites had historical facts on which to base their faith. That’s why God constantly told them to remember what He had done and tell it to their children. Their faith was in what they knew to be true, even though they didn’t always see it with their own eyes. ⁠
We, too, have facts on which to base our faith. The Bible is historically accurate and verified. If ever we needed to know what we believe, it’s now.⁠
⁠
Click link in bio to read post.⁠
⁠
#prayerwarrior #bedeeplyrooted #prayerispowerful #praywithoutceasing #christianpost #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #growingyourfaith #womenoftheworld #intheword #lampandlight #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus

It’s something I have a hard time doing. Like mo
It’s something I have a hard time doing. Like most women, when I do get still, my mind is still going 90 mph. I’m so distracted by all the preparations for the day. Sounds a little like Martha, who, by the way, is the one who invited Jesus over in the first place. But like Martha, I have felt the Lord’s gentle rebuke. He wants me at His feet. And really, that’s where I want to be. It’s not about time and focus. It’s about heart and desire. The rest will come. ❤️ #growingyourfaith #jesusfirst #wordbeforeworld #seekhimfirst #javawithjesus #womenintheword

Do you really want to grow your faith? What we fee
Do you really want to grow your faith? What we feed the most is what grows the most. 🍽️⁠
⁠
What are you feeding?⁠
⁠
Click the link in my bio to read this week's post.⁠
#prayerwarrior #bedeeplyrooted #prayerispowerful #praywithoutceasing #christianpost #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #growingyourfaith #womenoftheworld #intheword #lampandlight #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus ⁠


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