How do you measure faith and growth in faith? Is your faith stronger today than a year ago? What is it that propels our faith and trust in God? People talk about saving faith, growth in faith, and development of faith, the fruit of faith, and the need for faith. Jesus talks about little faith, and also how little you need to move mountains. Romans instructs us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17). Paul also writes that God has given to each one a measure of faith. (Rom 12:3) How can we know when we reach our potential in faith? The goal of our rowing in faith is as follows: God invests in our lives through leaders with a focus that “we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:13) How do we measure that we are on this road of growth? I think the secret lies in these two passages from Luke 18:1-17
The verse upon which these two parables hinge is the question in verse 8: Will Jesus find faith on earth?
Notice, that the context of the question is asked in terms of two stories concerning prayer! One story is told to the disciples while the other is addresses to the Pharisees who are also a part of the crowd around Jesus. The closer they get to Jerusalem the clearer Jesus speaks to the two knowing what is about to happen. And addressing his disciples Jesus links prayer to growth in faith!
Observing Jesus in prayer:
Beginning of his ministry is bathed in prayer in the wilderness
Knowing his purpose and direction
Selecting the disciples to invest in
Praying alone and the revelation of who he is in 9:18
In 11 Jesus teaches them to pray when that is the only thing the disciples want to be taught
After Jesus prays, people are healed, delivered, and set free from every type of disease and hurt
Now Jesus is teaching his disciples about the importance of prayer in all that they are to do and will be doing: Indeed his instruction will be after the resurrection for them to stay in prayer until the are filled with the Holy Spirit! So these parables are a critical addition to both the observations of the disciples and the previous teachings by Jesus on prayer:
Three critical observations on prayer from these parables:
Concerning 1: Don’t give up! George Mueller was a man of faith and prayer: all were answered
Concerning 2: My mother never saw the answers to her prayers for me, but she persisted in them
Concerning 3: Who is the object of your prayers? Is it God or is it you? If it is God, then we need to be about the things that God is interested in, which is the redemption and reconciliation of the lost! Pride comes before a fall - “When pride comes, then comes dishonor; But with the humble there is wisdom.”
Proverbs 11:2
Conclusion: Grow in your prayer life – pray at all times. Let that become your lifestyle.