EYES TO SEE, EARS TO HEAR – PART 3: THE SILENCE TEST

 

BIBLE PASSAGE: Luke 18:1-8

 

1. THE WIDOW AND THE INVISIBLE WAR

Luke 18:2-3 – “2 In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.” (NIV)

Here, we are introduced to two characters: The judge is heartless. He has no fear of God and no compassion for people. He doesn’t care about what’s right. He doesn’t care about what hurts. He represents what many of us face in life, a world that feels cold, closed off, and unfair. A system that doesn’t care about what you’re going through. A silence that makes you feel like your pain doesn’t matter.

And then there’s the widow. In Jesus’ time, a widow had no voice, no status, and no support. She couldn’t own land. She had no husband to speak up for her. Maybe, she had no family to fight for her. She had no money to pay for justice and no power to demand it. In the eyes of society, she was invisible.

Maybe that’s how you feel right now. You know what it’s like to feel helpless. To walk into a battle with no one to defend you, no one to stand by your side. You feel like you have no control. No power. No resources to fight back. But don’t forget this: You might not have control over the situation, and you might be powerless, but you still have a voice to pray. 

That’s more powerful than you think. And your voice matters to heaven; your prayers matter to God.

Maybe, this has crossed your mind: Why keep asking when nothing’s changing? Why keep believing after so much disappointment? Because deep inside, you still believe justice is possible. Breakthrough can still happen. God can still turn it around.

You’ve been fighting an invisible war, a battle most people don’t see. A battle in your mind and heart. A battle in your home. In your private life. This is not just a story about a widow and a judge. This is about you and the silent war you’re in. You may feel unseen by the world, but you are not invisible to God. He sees the fight.  He hears the cry. He knows the pain you’re too tired to explain. 

This widow reminds us that even When life feels unfair, when people seem indifferent, and nothing’s working out, you still have a voice in prayer. The voice lifted in faith, can shake the gates of heaven. Your persistence is not pointless. Your prayers are never ignored. Sometimes, the boldest act of faith is to keep asking when it feels like no one is listening.

1. WHEN GOD FEELS LIKE THE JUDGE

Luke 18:4-6 – “4 For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.”” (NIV)

Now, be honest. Have you ever felt like God is the judge in this story? Distant. Silent. Delayed. Jesus knew you’d feel that way. That’s why He uses a “how much more” argument. He said it clearly in Luke 18:7 – “And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night?” 

He’s not saying God is like the judge. He’s saying: If a judge who doesn’t care can eventually give in because someone won’t stop knocking, how much more will your good, holy, loving Father respond to your cry? But the challenge is: We say God is good. But when nothing changes, we start to ask: Is God really good?

Your understanding of God is tested in SILENCE. It’s not tested in blessings or breakthroughs. But in those long nights where your prayers feel like they’re bouncing off the ceiling. When healing hasn’t come. When the answer is taking too long. Do you still believe God is still good? Do you still believe He’s listening? Or do you begin to shrink your faith to fit your disappointment?

This is not just a test of patience. It’s a test of perspective. Can you trust God’s heart when you can’t trace His hand? The enemy wants to convince you that silence means absence. But in the Kingdom of God, delay is not denial. God has not gone silent because He cares less. Sometimes God is silent because He is doing something deeper in you and around you that you can’t see yet.

III. PERSISTENCE REVEALS OUR FAITH

Luke 18:7-8 – “7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (NIV)

Most sermons would usually stop with the message, “Don’t give up praying.” Yes, that’s important. But Jesus wants us to go deeper. Persistence in prayer isn’t just about endurance; it reveals what you really believe about God.

What does it say about your view of God when you stop praying? Maybe it means you think He doesn’t really care or He’s not really listening. Or maybe deep down, you’re not sure He’s really good.

And what does it say when you start striving or manipulating situations just to get what you want? Maybe, it means you believe God needs to be convinced. Or you think He won’t act unless you perform a certain way. But that’s not who God is.

Real faith doesn’t say, “I prayed and got what I asked for.” Real faith says, “Even when I don’t see results, I still believe God is good.” Friends, If you keep praying, not because you see movement, but because you know God’s heart, then your faith is alive.

That’s why Jesus closes the story with a piercing question: Luke 18:8b – “…When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” He’s not asking, “Will He find people attending church?” Or, “Will He find people posting Bible verses online?” He’s asking: “Will He find people who still trust Him even when He didn’t move on their schedule?”

That’s the real test. Do you trust Him when the door stays closed? Do you still believe when the answer hasn’t come? Will you keep knocking, not because of what you see, but because of who He is? Because God’s silence is not God’s absence. It’s easy to believe when prayers are answered. It’s easy to worship when doors open. But the faith that touches heaven is the kind that doesn’t stop, even when you don’t understand.

Jesus said in Luke 18:8a, “He will see that they get justice, and quickly…(NIV)” Now listen: Quickly doesn’t always mean immediately. In the original language, it means suddenly, without warning. It may feel slow, but when the answer comes, it will come fast. God’s justice may take time, but it won’t be late.

In the waiting, God is not being cruel. He’s not punishing you. God is building in you a kind of faith that storms can’t shake and silence can’t break. Because faith is not loud. Faith is not dramatic. Faith is persistent. Listen to this: Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is simply, not stop. Don’t stop praying. Don’t stop trusting. Don’t stop knocking. Because your Father hears you. Remember this: Even when nothing seems to move, God is still working.