Bible Study – Pray Hopefully and Constantly
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
Distilling the message of being faithful, Jesus seeks a way to teach his disciples: Do not give up! Do not lose hope! Perhaps Jesus, knowing the scope of God’s abundance says, to himself, "Ah, here it is: a story about a stubborn judge and a woman who does not give up hope.”
Keep in mind, as we read the story today, that women had no rights in Jesus' time. Listen to the story Jesus told his disciples and see if you can figure out why he told them that story.
Opening Prayer: Loving God, help us to hear what you have put in this story for us, here, today. Open our ears to hear your word. Amen.
Please open your Bibles to Luke 18:1-8 and read or read the scriptures below.
Luke 18:1-8
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Questions: (Answers at the bottom of the page)
- What surprised you about our reading today? What questions may have come up for you?
- Why do you think the woman kept going back to the judge?
- What do you think the woman might have needed?
- What does this story tells us about being persistent?
Bible Memory Verse: Luke 18:1 - Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
Click here for the young learner’s lesson.
Videos (Click on url)
The Unjust Judge and the Persistent Widow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ANqou5kvVM
The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JrXWh4WEvI
Gospel of Luke Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (Part 2) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26z_KhwNdD8
Song: Never Give Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN2jOOL_j1E&list=RDTN2jOOL_j1E&start_radio=1
Activities:
Journal: If you are using journals, write in your prayer journal during the week. Write this title on the starting page of your pray section in your journal: PRAYER CHANGES THINGS and PRAYER CHANGES ME. The first few pages can be designated as PRAYER CHANGES THINGS and start with a prayer list of requests and needs. A column can be made for marking the number of times that you ASK the Lord for an answer. Another few pages can be designated as the PRAYER CHANGES ME section and you can list such words trust, humility, determination, love for others, seeking God, faithful in church. Using my talents and helping, etc. Write
Prayer examples: Thank you Jesus for ________: or Let’s Praise Jesus for _____________: or Jesus we just want to pray for ________________:
The types of things we want to hold in our prayers may be thank you prayers for someone's getting well after having been sick, for a class at school getting easier, for families and friends, for example. Then we can think about things we really need, not just want, but really need: a broken arm getting well, a subject in school we are having trouble with and need to understand better, for example For help, you can use the categories of prayer found in the Book of Common Prayer
- The Church, its members, and its mission
- The Government, Nation and all in authority
- The welfare of the world
- The concerns of the local community
- Those who suffer and those in any trouble
- Justice for all
Keep On Praying - Crossword: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/keep-on-praying-1
Keep On Praying – Decoder: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/keep-on-praying-2
Keep On Praying - Word Search: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/keep-on-praying-3
Keep On Praying – Multiple Choice: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/keep-on-praying-4
Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for helping us remember to bring what we need to you. As we pray, give us a sense of your presence, and remind us that we are always with you and you are always with us. Amen.
Answers to the Questions:
- What surprised you about our reading today? What questions may have come up for you?
- Why do you think the woman kept going back to the judge? (Remember that women had no rights. Perhaps she was desperate or perhaps she was courageous, but she did not give up.)
- What do you think the woman might have needed? (Perhaps her opponent was someone trying to take her house away from her. Perhaps it was a lawsuit. What do you think it might be?)
- What does this story tells us about being persistent? (Sounds like Jesus is telling us to keep on praying when we need something.)
