September 11, 2025; Luke 18:1-17

Daily Dose of Hope

September 11, 2025

 

Scripture – Luke 18:1-17

 

Prayer:  Almighty God, We come before you with awe and humility.  Help us remember all you have done for us.  We are nothing without you.  We need you desperately, Lord.  Help us gather our scattered thoughts today as we focus on you.  In these next few moments of silence, help us remember that we belong to you.  Help us lay our worries and cares on the throne of your grace...We pray this in the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we begin to dive into Luke 18.

 

We begin with the parable of the persistent widow.  I’ve always found this to be a fascinating parable. Jesus uses two opposing characters to make an important point about prayer. First, we have a judge who is arrogant and without integrity. Then, we have a widow, who continues to go to the judge for help from her adversary. A widow at the time would have represented helplessness and vulnerability. She must not have had money to bribe the judge so she does the only thing she can–she pesters him! She will not leave him alone until he gives her justice.

 

Since even an unjust judge can do justice, how much more should we expect from a loving, righteous God. God wants his people to be persistent in prayer. Don’t give up! God will answer, although it may not be in our timing or in the way we desire. But God always answers.

 

Is there some situation or person for which you have stopped praying? Be like the persistent widow. Continue to plead before a loving and just God.

 

And then we have the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector.  Both go to the Temple to pray.  The Pharisee prays loudly, thanking God that he isn’t like the other sinners around him.  He lists his “religious activity.”  The tax collector, recognizing his sinfulness, stands back and prays humbly.  Jesus says that it is in the tax collector who is justified.  Why?

 

Jesus was speaking to a group of people who saw themselves as righteous before God because of their actions.  They kept the law, they fasted, they were religious in every sense of the word.  But their hearts were far from God.  They trusted in themselves, rather than God.  Their righteousness was something to be grasped and attained. 

 

The tax collector, on the other hand, is totally different.  His head is bowed.  He asks God for mercy rather than pointing out the sins of others.  He is quick to call himself a sinner.  And he certainly could have been; tax collectors were known for manipulation and thievery.  But he goes home justified because he recognizes the pain he has caused others.  He is repentant.  He recognizes what he has done and it appears he seeks some form of transformation.

 

Recognizing that all of our hearts have strayed from God is key.  Each of us are sinners.  The more mature we are as Christians, the more we realize our own sinfulness and the less we are inclined to point out the sinfulness of others. 

 

How have you experienced this?

 

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki