Continued Persistence for Justice
By Adrian Cook, Director of Research & Evaluation
“And he [Jesus] 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? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Luke 18:1-9 ESV
Beginning a new is a good time to reflect on persistence… persistence for things that are of eternal consequence. The beginning of this passage from Luke gets to the heart of godly persistence – continual prayer and not losing heart in the face of what are seemingly intractable challenges. The world presents us with many broken conditions that are the result of complex generational, relational, physical, systemic, and spiritual brokenness. Just like the widow in the parable there is a persistent cry for relief. It is into these conditions of brokenness that the Foundation, and many of our nonprofit partners, have specific callings of service that require continual prayer and not losing heart.
Jesus’ parable of the widow seeking justice provides a regrettably relatable example of an intractable challenge that many people face. One of the most troubling injustices that persists in our world is modern slavery. Almost 50 million people are in modern slavery, which includes bonded labor and commercial sexual exploitation. This is approximately 1 out of every 164 people in the world.
The Foundation has learned to approach the injustice of modern slavery with both continual prayer and a spirit of not losing heart.
For 18 years, the Foundation has supported the work of International Justice Mission in India. Over those years, IJM has achieved significant reductions in the prevalence of bonded labor in the areas where it has worked and is now on a mission to protect over 300 million vulnerable people from experiencing bonded labor. For 10 years, the Foundation has supported Human Trafficking Institute as it combats human trafficking in Uganda. In 2017, 52 human traffickers were prosecuted in Uganda. In 2024, over 1,300 human traffickers were prosecuted as a result of HTI’s investigation and prosecutorial expertise imbedded in the Uganda justice system. Through our partner Justice Ventures International, 833 children were rescued from human trafficking in 2023 and 2024 in India as a result of their work in the region.
The Foundation is encouraged that IJM, HTI, and JVI are turning refusals of justice into narratives of rescue and recovery from modern slavery and even the prevention of people, notably children, from ever experiencing slavery. The Foundation has witnessed the reality of justice being extended to those who have suffered, just as Jesus promised.
Not only does this give us at the Foundation hope for a world without modern slavery, but it gives us hope for a world where other injustices will be remedied: children will live in homes with loving parents, youth with disabilities will be welcomed in their communities, and neighborhoods will be places of nurturing and positive formation.
Why is this a good time to reflect on godly persistence? Because there is grace in new beginnings, and that grace includes being refreshed in the tools that God has given us to live out lives of godly perseverance in the face of the challenges – continual prayer and not losing heart.
Jesus asks “will he find faith on earth?” Across all the areas of calling, the Foundation continues to see God be faithful to those who cry out for help. With this in mind, we joyfully go about our work of service in the areas God has called the Foundation and exercise continual prayer and not losing heart so that God will find us faithful.