94 14 Habits of Highly Effective Disciples
11:9–10. These well-known verses build upon already developed themes:
followers should approach the Father with prayers of boldness, certainty,
and confidence.
11:11–13. Perhaps two thoughts most clearly reverberate in this brief
subsection. First, the nature of God as a loving father is emphasized.
Second, the “good gift” most assured to disciples is that of the Holy
Spirit. The best gift, and the one his followers are to most fervently seek,
according to verse 13, is to boldly and consistently ask for the Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, far too many Christians neglect asking for the only gift
specifically named in this teaching.
A Habit of Prayer is Persistent and Justice-Oriented (Luke 18:1–10)
18:1–10. Following chapter 11, Luke 18 (The Parable of the Persistent
Widow) is the next teaching on prayer. Verse 1 exhorts disciples to pray
without giving up or more literally, without becoming discouraged. This
is the only time the Greek word enkakeō (lose heart), appears in the
Gospel of Luke. Even if the situation is desperate and seems impossible,
the petitioner is to be persistent.
In the face of great injustice and seemingly intractable problems in
the world, the disciple’s response is to be one of persistent prayer. Such
persistence is characterized by the widow in this parable. Her humble
attitude stands in stark contrast to the unjust judge who is self-confident
and self-righteous. The kingdom of God is advanced through prayer,
and when confronted with difficult situations, the follower is to perse-
vere in prayer, trusting God to bring about justice.
Luke compared God to the unjust judge. The judge finally responded
to the widow out of fear of being given a “black eye” (a blemish on his
reputation), which is a more literal translation of verse 4. The Father
instead values widows, orphans, and the marginalized of society (see
Exodus 22:22–24; Deuteronomy 10:18, 24:17, 27:19; Job 22:9, 24:3; Psalm
68:5; Isaiah 1:17, 10:2; 1 Timothy 5:3; James 1:27).
In a world filled with injustice, God desires to “bring about justice
for his chosen ones” (Luke 18:7). Thus the reader must ask two ques-
tions. First, do I respond more like the judge or the Father towards
the outcasts of society? Second, if the Father values persistent prayers,