Re:Verse passage – Luke 18:1-8 (day four)
This odd little parable comes right after Jesus is telling the disciples about the future coming of the Kingdom of God. He advises them, as they consider his second coming, “Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” He concludes this conversation on an ominous note as he foretells his crucifixion.
I’m sure the tension was palpable after the disciples heard this. Seeing their pain and confusion, he gives them a word of encouragement. He tells them, in the face of all of this, to pray. Pray with determination like the widow who had nothing left to lose. Pray to the One who is not an apathetic judge, but who is the creator of justice. Pray with boldness to the One who meets judgment with mercy. It is nothing short of a miracle that we’re invited to pray with boldness to this good of a God.
Part of that “losing your life” business Jesus talked about happens through this kind of prayer. The more we boldly approach the throne of God, the more acquainted we become with the One who sits on it. The more we get to know him, the more we can loosen our grip on our life as we give it into his hands.