Charles Spurgeon Commentary Luke 18:1

"And he spake a parable unto them to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to faint;" — Luke 18:1 (ASV)

And he spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Especially, not to faint in prayer, not to become disheartened or weary, even if their prayers should, for a long time, remain unanswered.

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

"Not to faint" in their expectation of answers to their supplications, and therefore give up prayer; but to persevere in presenting their petitions at the throne of grace, because prayer is never lost labor.

There may be a time during which God does not appear to answer prayer, but he will ultimately answer it; therefore, men ought always to pray, and not to faint in prayer.

If they do not pray, they will faint in many ways. Their courage will faint. All their hope as to the future will faint, and fall into a dead swoon as it were.

So, dear friends, you have your choice between praying and fainting. The doctrine our Savior laid down was that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; and this is the parable which he related in illustration of that truth:

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

An old writer says that many of Christ's parables need a key to unlock them. Here, the key hangs outside the door; for, at the very beginning of the parable we are told what Christ meant to teach by it: that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. And this is the parable: –