In Luke chapter 18 we have what we would call a overview of the
entire ministry of Jesus. In the beginning of this chapter is th
story of the woman and the unjust judge. Someone had dones something
against her and she had gone to the judge, not unlike many people who
are seeking justice today. But this woman soon found that she wasn't
getting what she had came for. So she made a decision to pester the
living daylights out of the judge until he gave her what she had
asked for.
That is what we call "faith that never gives up." It's an attitude.
It's a mentality. It's a way of thinking. It's a lifestyle! With this
type of mentality, attitude etc, when we see the word "faith" in the
dictionary, our picture should be out beside it! With this "never
give up attitude" this woman wore the judge down until he gave her
what she wanted just to get rid of her!
Anothe similar story about faith that never gives up is found in
Matthew chapter 15. A woman that had a daughter who was possessed by
the devil came to Jesus. She wanted her daughter delivered! The
disciples told her to go away because she was loud and persistant and
wanted to see Jesus. The disciples said go away, Jesus won't see you.
But...because of her persistence, she made it past the disciples to
the Master. Jesus said to her, "I wasn't sent to you, but to the lost
sheep of the household of Israel." She wasn't a Jew, but a Gentile.
Jesus went on to say, "It's not right to take healing and cast it to
the dogs." Jesus was comparing this woman with a dog! Most folks
would have given up right there and accepted the "religious lie" that
God's will for you is to stay sick, bound, etc. If you or I said
something like that to someone, we would never be allowed to minister
again!
This woman didn't get mad. She understood exactly what Jesus was
saying and responded, "But aren't the dogs at the master's table
allowed to eat the crumbs that fall to the floor?" This woman knew
Jesus was the master, and in her persistance to have her need met,
she was actually worshiping Him from the depths of her heart. Jesus
was working out of her old nature and getting her over into His faith
nature. When Jesus heard her response He said, "O woman, great is
your faith!"
Two times in the Bible Jesus refered about people with "great faith."
Once to a Gentile woman and once to a Roman centurion. Neither of
them was a Jew, or as we would say in our culture today, a member of
the house of God! Their faith in what God could do was so great that
Jesus could not do anything but respond to their faith and do what
they asked of Him.
When the woman persisted, Jesus said "Woman, great is your faith." He
healed her daughter. She had faith thta never gives up.
If you and I want our prayers answered, we need to have this kind of
spirit that this woman had when Jesus healed her daughter. We need to
have the kind of spirit like the woman that went before the unjust
judge and found justice for her wrong--a spirit that no matter what
it takes, we are going to hold on and stand in faith, because the
devil is not going to defeat us!
We need to have a faith that never gives up attitude. No matter what
we see in the natural, we believe the miracle starts the moment faith
is released. We may not see it until next week, next month or even
next year, but until we do, we are going to hold on and never give up
in Jesus' name!
