Jesus told the story of the widow’s persistent request to the judge for justice in Luke 18, to teach us the need to pray continually and not to give up, even if it appears that the answer to our prayer is delayed. God is certainly not an unjust judge who must be harassed before He responds to us. He is our loving Father, who cares about us and hears us when we cry to Him. Regular persistent prayer draws us closer to Him. It may seem that we are a squeaky wheel if we keep going to Him, but the Lord welcomes our prayers and encourages us to approach Him with our cries. He hears us and will come to our aid in ways we may not expect. As Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:5-8, constant prayer does not require long periods of “babbling”. Rather as we bring our needs before Him “day and night” (Luke 18:7) and walk with the One who already knows our needs, we learn to trust God and wait patiently for His response. Pray continually! James 5:16.