Two Parables, One Message: How to Pray with Faith and Humility (Luke 18:1-14)
Prayer is one of the most personal ways we connect with God. But how should we pray? What kind of heart does God listen to? In Luke 18, Jesus tells two short stories that give us powerful answers.
Let’s walk through these parables and discover what they teach us about prayer, faith, and how to approach God.
The Story of the Persistent Widow
Jesus begins with a story about a widow who keeps asking a judge for justice. This judge doesn’t care about people, and he doesn’t care about doing what’s right. But the widow doesn’t give up—she keeps coming back, asking again and again.
Eventually, the judge gives in. Not because he wants to do the right thing, but because he’s tired of hearing from her!
Jesus uses this story to make a point: if even an unfair judge can give in to persistence, how much more will a good and loving God answer our prayers? God isn’t annoyed by our requests—He invites us to keep coming to Him.
The lesson? Don’t give up. Keep praying. God is listening, even when it feels like nothing is happening.
God Always Listens with Care
Jesus goes on to say that God will bring justice to those who cry out to Him day and night. That means He hears every prayer—even the quiet, desperate ones we whisper in the middle of the night.
Sometimes it feels like we’re waiting a long time for answers. But Jesus reminds us that God’s timing is perfect. He sees what we don’t. And He’s not ignoring us—He’s working things out for our good.
The Story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Next, Jesus tells another story about two men who go to the temple to pray.
The first man is a Pharisee—a religious leader. He stands proudly and thanks God that he’s not like other people. He lists all the good things he does and looks down on others.
The second man is a tax collector—a person most people disliked at the time. He doesn’t even look up. He simply says, “God, have mercy on me. I’m a sinner.”
Jesus says it’s the tax collector—not the proud Pharisee—who goes home right with God.
Why? Because God values humility. He isn’t impressed by proud words or religious show-offs. He listens to the person who knows they need Him and speaks from the heart.
God Lifts Up the Humble
Jesus finishes with a powerful truth: “Those who lift themselves up will be brought down, but those who humble themselves will be lifted up.”
In other words, if we come to God full of pride, thinking we have it all together, we miss what really matters. But if we come honestly, admitting our need for Him, God welcomes us with open arms.
What We Can Learn
These two stories may be short, but they teach us a lot about prayer:
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Keep praying, even when it’s hard. God hears your voice.
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Be honest and humble. Don’t pretend to be perfect—God wants the real you.
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Trust God’s timing. He is good, even when you’re still waiting for an answer.
Final Thought
Prayer isn’t about having the right words or proving how good we are. It’s about bringing our hearts to God—again and again—with faith and humility.
So whether you’re feeling strong or struggling, bold or broken, remember: God is ready to listen. Just keep praying—and come as you are.
Luke 18:1-14 (WEB)
18:1 He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray and not give up, 2 saying, “There was a judge in a certain city who didn’t fear God and didn’t respect man. 3 A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ 4 He wouldn’t for a while; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.’ ”6 The Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. 7 Won’t God avenge his chosen ones who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”9 He also spoke this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed by himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men: extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”