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In Nigeria, West Africa, women who lose their husbands, face a grim life. Society turns against them, and they don’t know where to turn for help. But one woman helps many of them. She is a billionaire and uses her personal funds to assist widows. So far, she has helped 2,700 widows. Contrast this African woman’s attitude with the judge in the story Jesus told about a widow — found in Luke 18. Somebody had mistreated that widow, and she went to the judge to get justice. But the judge could care less. Jesus said, he ignored her for a while, but finally said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’ll see that she gets justice because she is wearing me out with her constant nagging!” The widow’s persistence paid off. Then Jesus invited us to learn a lesson from that unjust judge. He said the judge finally gave that widow justice because she kept coming back to him. Jesus asked, “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! Jesus wants us to know that persistence in prayer pays. Not only do we grow in faith, character, and hope. It pays because we have a heavenly Father who is far more caring than that unjust judge is; and he is far more resourceful than that African billionaire is.
