Desiring Prayer

Martin Luther once said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” As a new year begins, many of us sense how spiritually breathless we’ve become. We live in a loud, hurried, and distracted world. As we begin the new year, let's take time to listen, because we long to become more aware of His presence.

Luke 18:1–14

1 And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

For Adult Homes and Groups

Before answering, reread Luke 18:1–14 slowly. Pay attention to how each person prays and how God responds.

 1. In both parables, Jesus highlights how people come before God in prayer. What differences do you notice between the persistence of the widow and the posture of the tax collector, and what do they reveal about the kind of prayer God desires?

2. The Pharisee prays confidently but remains focused on himself, while the tax collector comes humbly and simply asks for mercy. What distractions - pride, comparison, busyness, or self-reliance - most often pull your attention away from being fully present with God in prayer?

3. Jesus says the tax collector, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. As you begin this season of prayer, what might it look like for you to come before God with honesty and humility, trusting His mercy rather than trying to impress Him?

For Families with Kids

1. Read Luke 18:1-14 together. When have you felt like giving up on something important (a homework problem, a sports goal, a family goal)? What helped you to keep going, or what stopped you?

2. The widow in this story had no one to help her. How are we like that widow before God? What does “always to pray and not lose heart” mean for your family? What makes us want to stop praying? What’s one “widow’s cry” prayer we need to keep bringing to Jesus this week?

3. Jesus wants us to be persistent because God is a loving Father,

not an unjust judge. How does this passage change our desire to talk to God?