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b'Have you ever felt like you have lost the heart to pray? It could be for any number of reasons. Jesus knows there are times we may be discouraged from praying, and so He tells a parable in Luke 18 meant to encourage His people to not give up praying.\\nThe first character in this story is a judge. Right away, we learn this is not a God-fearing or people-respecting judge, meaning he\\u2019s probably not going to settle your case fairly. Chances are, to get a favorable ruling, you\\u2019d probably need to grease this judge\\u2019s palm.\\nNext, we meet the second character in the story: an impoverished widow seeking justice from the unjust judge. This widow doesn\\u2019t have the influence, power, or money necessary to sway his opinion. So, what does the widow do? She perseveres.\\nEventually the judge gives the widow a just ruling because he becomes so sick and tired of her \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153pestering\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d him (verse 5)!\\nNow, we may read this parable and think the judge is supposed to be God. If that were true, then God would be a grumpy, unfair judge who only listens to us if we bug Him enough.\\nBut this view of God couldn\\u2019t be further from the truth!\\nNotice how Jesus explains the parable in verses 6 and 7: if even the unjust judge in this story answered the widow\\u2019s request because of her perseverance, how much more will a perfectly just and loving God answer our requests? With this truth in mind, we can be encouraged to persevere in our prayers. \\u2022 Jonathon Fuller\\n\\u2022 What are some things that discourage you from praying? \\n\\u2022 What specific characteristics of God encourage you to not give up praying? \\nDon\\u2019t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 (CSB)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nPsalm 16:8-11; Luke 24:1-8'