The Lord knows we are a forgetful people. I often forget where I put my car keys. I walk into a room and sometimes forget why I went there in the first place!

We’re equally forgetful—if not more so—when it comes to our spiritual lives. We easily lose sight of the things the Lord has done for us—His faithful record over the course of our lives.  This makes being persistent in prayer challenging, especially when we feel overlooked or undervalued.

Jesus’ world was filled with rabbis and pharisees who often used parables as their primary teaching method. Women were seen as too lowly to be the ones communicating divine truths.

Yet Jesus was unique. It was common for Jesus to share two parables back to back: one featuring a man and the other a woman.

With Jesus, women found their place in the story over and over again.

Jesus redefined how women were viewed in His time, giving them a voice and a lasting presence in His teachings. He understood that people, especially those society often overlooked, needed reminders of God’s faithfulness.

When Jesus wanted to teach about praying with persistence, He could have chosen well-known male figures to illustrate His point. He might have referenced Abraham praying for Sodom, Jacob wrestling with the angel, or Moses interceding for the Israelites. But Jesus didn’t choose any of these examples. Instead, He cast a widow—a woman with no status, no protection, and no power—as the main character in His parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8).

The widow begins the story in a place of vulnerability, facing an unjust judge. Yet through her sheer persistence, coming to the judge again and again, she overcomes the odds. Jesus lifted up this woman, a widow, to teach His disciples that “they should always pray and never give up” (Luke 18:1).

In the parable of the persistent widow, we are challenged in our understanding of why and how we should pray.  Jesus loved including women in His stories and parables and wanted to be sure women knew they held a place in God’s story and a meaningful role in history.

Your story matters. 

The little stories and the big story. All of it. The ups, downs, and all-around moments of your life. They all matter to Jesus. Since Jesus included women in His stories, we too should share our stories to bless, encourage, edify, challenge, and strengthen one another.

You matter.

You’re seen by God.

You’re prized by God.

You’re in His story.

God is calling you to be a part of His kingdom work in praying persistently!

Let’s remember that Jesus was adamant about including women in His work. Just like the widow in His parable, we are called to approach God with faith and perseverance, trusting in His steadfast love and faithfulness.

Jesus brought a generous justice to women by lifting them up in a world where they were often invisible. If Jesus did this for her, He can certainly do it for us.

For further reflection, listen to Luke 18 today!