Shall He Find Faith

Luke 18:1-8

It is so easy for us to just roll with life. We may not like what is going on, but we just go with it. On the national level there are elections, a pandemic, riots, scandals, and utter discord. Then, at the state level we have elections, response to the pandemic, political discord, and other problems depending on what state we are in. At the municipal level there are problems mostly associated with how large of a city you live in. The larger the city, the more control they try to exert on their citizens (My home town is too small to do much of anything). Then there is the personal level. We have friends an family who are going through hard times, sickness, or injuries. We know people who have died, or are in the process of dying. Of course there is drug abuse, marital problems, and stress from life in general.

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And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Luke 18:1-8

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I'm not trying to paint a grim picture this morning. This is simply reality for us. So, thinking about all of this, verse 8 really hit me. "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" If I had to answer this question today, I would say "Not much". Even among Christians, it seems as though our faith is wavering greatly.

In our text, Jesus tells of a widow who daily went to an unrighteous judge to make petition to be avenged from her enemy. The unrighteous judge finally granted her petition so that she would leave him alone. Do not misunderstand this! Jesus is not comparing God to the unrighteous judge, he is contrasting him. Reworded, Jesus says, "If this is how the unrighteous judge responded to her petition, will not God do more?" God is not unrighteous. Therefore, he hears his "elect" and cares for them.

We have a tendency to attach "God's love" to his answering our prayers the way we want Him to. We think "If God does not give me what I want, He doesn't love me". This simply is not true. Just as every parent has told their child "no", and the response did not negate their love for their child, so God telling us "No" does not negate His love for us. God sees the bigger picture and we should trust Him to be who He tells us He is (holy, righteous, just, love).

Finally, to answer the question, "Shall he find faith on the earth?", that is up to me. I cannot answer for you, but I can decide for myself. If I resolve to place my faith in God, then yes, there will be faith on the earth. I am not talking about salvation. Jesus told His disciples over and over again that they did not have faith. This did not mean that they were not saved, but rather that they did not truth Him (Jesus) or God. Faith is something that is learned and cultivated. That is why we pray for God to increase our faith. If we have faith, then we will pray to God about all the troubles in our lives. Not a single flippant prayer, but continually and fervently pray.

Father, increase my faith. As the father asked Jesus, "Help my unbelief". I want to be a yes answer to Jesus question. I want to trust you more, no matter what troubles and trials come my way. I want to believe without wavering. You are who you are no matter what I believe, so may my beliefs be grounded in truth.