No Practice Runs in Life
In 2017, climber Alex Honnold achieved something few believed possible. He scaled the 3,000-foot vertical rock face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park with no ropes, no harnesses, and no safety gear. Just for reference, that wall of granite is nearly twice the height of the CN Tower. Every inch of that climb was sheer, unforgiving rock. One mistake would have meant death.
What makes his accomplishment even more incredible is that he did it alone. No one climbing beside him. Nothing to catch him if he fell. It was just Alex, relying entirely on his own strength, skill, and focus. The documentary Free Solo captures the intensity of it all, showing the physical and mental toll of preparing for such a high-stakes climb. What many viewers learn through that film is that before the final, death-defying ascent, Alex practiced the entire route over and over with ropes and safety gear. He trained for years. He memorized every foothold and every hand-grip before he ever attempted it without protection.
And that’s where our lives are very different. We don’t get practice runs. We don’t get to rehearse our responses to hardship before the pressure is real. Life doesn’t give us a harness and a do-over if we slip. But here’s the good news. We have something even better. We have a God who holds us. The Christian life is not a free solo. We are not climbing alone, and we’re not relying on our own strength to make it to the top.
Not Climbing Alone
That’s the heart of what Jesus is teaching in Luke 18. The chapter opens with this: “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1, NASB95). That’s the point. Don’t give up. Don’t let discouragement wear you down. Keep going, and keep praying.
Jesus then tells the story of a widow who comes again and again to a judge, asking for justice. The judge doesn’t fear God and doesn’t care about people. He’s the last person you’d want deciding your case. But eventually, he gives in. Not because it’s right, but because he’s tired of her persistence.
The Judge Who Can Be Trusted
The point of the parable is not to suggest that God is not a judge. Scripture makes it clear that He is. But unlike the judge in the story, who is corrupt, indifferent, and self-serving, God is completely just, entirely good, and deeply compassionate. The contrast is in character, not in role.
If even a man like that, who lacks all concern for justice, can be moved by persistent requests, how much more can we trust the righteous Judge of all the earth to hear the cries of His people? God is not reluctant. He is not indifferent. He is not burdened by our prayers. He is just. He is merciful. And He delights to act on behalf of those who belong to Him.
Jesus is not telling us to wear God down (as if that were even possible). He is reminding us that God is already near, already listening, and already ready to act. He is saying, don’t lose heart. Keep praying. You’re not alone in this climb.
When the Climb Gets Hard
Now this isn’t just about prayer in general. If you look at the context, this parable follows Jesus’ teaching in Luke 17 about His second coming. He had just been talking about the day when He will return in power and judgment. On that day, those who are ready will be gathered to Him, and those who are not will be left behind. So when Jesus tells this parable about perseverance, it’s not just about getting through life’s difficulties. It’s about staying faithful until the end. It’s about holding on and keeping your eyes on Him until the day He comes again.
He ends the parable with a question. “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). In other words, will He find people still climbing? Still trusting? Still crying out in prayer?
That’s a hard question. Because the truth is, there are a lot of things in this life that make us want to let go. Suffering. Disappointment. Unanswered prayers. Fatigue. It all adds up. But it’s not just hardship that wears us down. Sometimes it’s comfort. Sometimes it’s the temptation to love this world more than we should. Sometimes it’s distraction, the appeal of sin, or the drift of a heart that stops longing for Christ’s return. There are all kinds of ways we can lose focus and lose heart.
And in those moments, we’re tempted to think that perseverance means muscling through on our own, just holding on tighter.
But that’s not what Jesus is asking. He’s not telling us to be spiritual daredevils, relying on our own strength. He’s calling us to trust the One who climbs with us. To believe that God hears our cries. To know that even when we feel like we’re barely hanging on, He is the one holding us up.
Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus
Hebrews 12 gives us the same encouragement. It says, “Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1–2). He’s the one who has gone ahead of us. He endured the cross. He faced down shame. He finished the climb. And now He’s at the right hand of God, interceding for us.
The next verse continues, “Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:3). That’s it. Don’t lose heart. Don’t give up. Keep climbing. Not because you’re strong enough, but because Jesus is. He is the one who keeps you. Even when your grip slips, His never does.
You Are Held
Maybe today you feel like you’re near the edge. Maybe the mountain is too high, the climb too hard. Maybe you’ve prayed and nothing seems to change. Maybe you’ve stumbled. But if that’s you, don’t walk away from this without hearing what Jesus is saying. Keep crying out to God. Don’t stop praying. Don’t lose heart. You are not climbing alone.
You don’t get practice runs in life. But you do have safety. You have a Savior. And He will not let go.
So keep climbing. Keep praying. Keep trusting. Because the One who calls you upward is the One who will never let go of you.