All of us at times become impatient with how slowly some things move in life. It may be a line at the supermarket. We may be waiting for a tax refund check. Or it may be something as simple as the arrival of a newspaper in the morning when it is uncharacteristically late. My dog whines frequently if I am a bit slow getting his food into his bowl. But as human beings we are especially impatient when we feel that God is not delivering on his promises at a rate that we deem to be acceptable. We sing the song “In His Time” and yet still do not get the message that he will do just what he says on his own timeline. He is a faithful God who delivers what he promises (Deut. 7:9; 1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13), but always does so on his own terms and in his own time.

This is a hard pill for us sometimes to swallow. We want what we want now and not tomorrow. In such an instance we must remember the words of our Savior who said, “Hear what the unjust judge said” (Luke 18:6). In that context Jesus had told a story (parable) to emphasize the need for God’s people to “always pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). The story went like this:

There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city: and she came to him, saying, “Get justice for me from my adversary.” And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, “Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me” (Luke 18:2-5).

This fellow did not care about anyone or anything. He was an unjust man. But he knew the message of persistence. He knew that this woman was going to keep coming to him and bothering him until he took care of her problem. He was well aware that persistent people can be petulant people, and even pesky people. They will not leave you alone until they get what they want. So he attended to this woman’s business. It is that simple. He did what she wanted him to do.

Now Jesus did not mean to tell us that God is an unjust judge. Nor does he mean to communicate to us that God is lazy about taking care of necessary business. He is telling us that we must be persistent in our prayers. And he was trying to tell us another thing also. God knows how important anything is to us by how many times we ask him for it, and how fervently we make the request. If we ask but once and do so without much heart in it, then it tells him that it is something that we are concerned about, but not very.

On the other hand, if we keep bringing it to his attention, day after day, and make the request with fervency and earnestness, then that tells him that the matter is truly close to our hearts and we are genuinely concerned about it. It is not just a passing or flippant request. It is heartfelt and ardent.

You may have heard the old saying, “The squeaking wheel is the one that gets the grease.” So, let us learn to pray with intensity and consistency. God will hear our prayers and attend to our needs. But we must learn to “hear what the unjust judge said.” This lesson is simple, but it is fundamental to understanding the process of prayer and how to communicate with our Heavenly Father. Thus, we are to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).