Can I Pester the Judge Please?

Ed McClanahan

During my career in police work, I spent seven years as a Detective investigating the most serious crimes in the community. One of my occasional duties consisted of getting various types of court orders signed by a judge. A search warrant, subpoena for records, or body wire order was a useless piece of paper if it didn’t have the judge’s signature. I remember one judge in particular that always seemed annoyed at the prospect of having to read the affidavit I was submitting for the court order I was seeking. He never said so verbally, but the tone of his voice, and his body language and facial expressions were very clear. “Detective, you’re a pest!”

Have you ever wondered when you’ve prayed multiple times for something if you were pestering the Lord? Do you realize he’s actually given you permission to do so in his parable of the persistent widow?

The Parable of the Persistent Widow Luke 18 1-7 (ESV)

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?

Are you telling me that I “might” be able to change the mind of the righteous judge by making repeated requests? No…..HE (the LORD) SAID THIS HIMSELF!

Now this doesn’t mean we should expect to get whatever we want. We always want to pray that the Lord’s will would be done. Remember 1 John 5, 14-15 (NIV) This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we have asked of him.

Always pray for the Lord’s will to be done. And be persistent, even pester him! He’s given you permission!