“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

What a question!

In Luke 18:1-7 Jesus tells the story of the widow who persisted and got her way when mistreated by an unjust judge. He kept ignoring her, but her persistence wore him down. The moral of the story is obvious. Keep praying.

Then he asked a surprising question:

Will Jesus find faith on the earth when he returns?

There will be a huge turning away from the Lord in the last days. It is sometimes called the “apostasy” or the “falling away.” You can read about it in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and 2 Thessalonians 2. As we rush headlong toward the return of Christ, we should expect to see exactly what is happening today:

False Christs.
Spiritual counterfeits.
Christians compromising their faith.
Pastors turning away from the truth.

As the foundations of society crumble beneath us, we will see this happening more and more. All these things are the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8 KJV). In a world where truth has become entirely subjective, where feelings trump biblical commands, where we reinterpret the Bible to justify our sin, Jesus’ poignant question takes on a deeper meaning:

When the Son of Man comes…

Will he find faith in your church?
Will he find faith in your family?
Will he find faith in your heart?

As we journey along through life, there will always be some prayers that haven’t been answered yet. Will we give up, or will we keep praying? That’s what Jesus means when he asks, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Will he find anyone still believing, or will everyone turn away?
Will he find faithful believers who still pray as the world self-destructs?

Jesus is coming soon. All the signs point to the same conclusion: “It won’t be long now.”

Jesus came the first time as a baby in Bethlehem.
He will come the second time as the conquering King.

God help us to pray in faith while we wait for Jesus to come again.

Almighty God, grant that we might not be discouraged even a little bit by the things that happen around us. Grant us grace to keep on praying as we wait for Jesus to come again. Amen.

Musical bonus: Some people call Away in a Manger “Luther’s Cradle Hymn,” but the original author has been lost to history. In 2016 Sarah McLachlan produced this soft jazz version of Away in a Manger. Enjoy!