Luke 18:1

Jesus is teaching that we should keep praying continually and not lose heart -- and Luke tells us this is the very purpose of the parable that follows. Unusually, Luke states the meaning before the story, so we read the parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge already knowing its aim. The verse frames prayer not as an occasional duty but as a steady, unbroken posture of dependence.

Two phrases carry the weight. "Always" signals constancy -- a life oriented toward God in ongoing communication, not just in crisis. "Not to faint" translates a word that pictures growing weary, losing courage, or giving up under discouragement. Jesus knows that delayed answers and prolonged hardship tempt people to quit. So He sets persistent prayer directly against the slow erosion of hope. The widow in the coming parable has no leverage and no advocate, yet her refusal to stop asking finally moves even a careless judge. Jesus' point, drawn out in the verses that follow, is that God is nothing like that reluctant judge; He hears His own speedily. The reader is encouraged to read continued prayer as an act of faith that resists despair, trusting that the God who invites the asking is faithful to respond.