Luke 18:1 Pray and Not Faint

Luke 18:1 (KJV) And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 

This parable by our Lord Jesus teaches us the lesson never to give up on the Lord: “men ought always to pray and not to faint”. Prayer is the believer’s power with God. Persistence in prayer is not the natural habit of the believer. Jesus uses this parable to teach this lesson.

This parable encourages us to never stop praying even in the toughest of circumstances. Our faith cannot be seen but our prayer life can be seen, it is evidence of true faith. It gives hope to the children of God who are going through any trouble, call upon Him and He will help you.

He is always fair, always just, on our part, we must make sure we are on the Lord’s side.

The literal translation can be “it is necessary always to pray and not to faint”. The word “ought” is used to carry the sense of necessity of duty or command”. Notice also this word for “pray” always refers to “prayer to God” in the NT. The disciples are to pray under all types of necessity. 

The key word is the adverb “always” – it connotes “time”, it means “at all times”, it speaks of constancy in prayer, a consistent prayer life. 

“To faint” is to lose heart, to let despondency take over, become discouraged, give up, grow weary, to despair, to be demoralized, to lose one’s motivation, to stop praying. It is necessary to pray in all circumstances, especially in the afflictions and hardships of life. Amen.