Luke 18:1-17

Luke 18:1-17 (New International Version)
The Parable of the Persistent Widow 1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And 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 about men,5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won‘t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ " 6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I 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?"The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector 9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a]himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."The Little Children and Jesus 15People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
DEVOTION:
We just completed a unit on prayer in Nucleus. We were able to remember some very important things about prayer, and I was amazed at how easily the kids accepted and applied the lessons learned. I guess that‘s why Jesus tells us to have faith like a child in this passage. Kids just seem to naturally understand and trust God. If the Bible says God will hear their prayers and answer them, they believe it! I think we learn two important things in this passage about prayer. One is to be persistent and to understand that God will answer you in the way that is best for you. The second is that confession and humility are vital accompaniments to prayer. When we understand just how small and sinful we are as compared to God, we are able to approach Him with humility in our prayers, and he will honor that.
Below are the three lessons the kids have learned about prayer. I have been challenged (as I challenge you) to find a practical way to apply them to your life.
1. The Three A‘s: I can pray to God ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ABOUT ANYTHING
2. Prayers are DATA: Describe God, Ask for forgiveness, Thank God, Ask for things I need (an example is below for today‘s prayer).
3. Stoplight Answers: RED = NO, YELLOW = WAIT, GREEN = YES
PRAYER: Father in heaven, you are amazing and holy. I am awed by your power. Forgive me today for the many things I do that are not a part of your will. Thank you for providing me with my needs and loved ones. Thank you for sacrificing your Son so that I might live. Lord, help me today to live my life in a way that honors you and bring healing to the areas of my life where it‘s needed. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.