A few college ministry organizations around UNI's campus recently hosted a "Prayer Week." I was pretty skeptical. I have an issue with constantly questioning the authenticity of other Christians. However, I felt God impressing upon my heart to check this thing out and consider participating. Now, I'm so glad I did.
To go along with 24/7 Prayer Week, BASIC and The Lutheran Student Center hosted a 24/7 prayer room. The idea was to sign up for at least an hour time slot and they attempted to fill every hour of the week. I think they came pretty darn close. In this prayer room, there was a big wooden cross, a fountain with running water, soft music playing, bibles, paper, a big mural on the wall, etc…
However, it wasn't the prayer room itself that really struck me. It was a teaching on one of Jesus' parables that I heard beforehand that did. Luke 18:1-8 is one of Jesus' shortest parables and one that I don't ever remember reading.
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' 4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' " 6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' 4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' " 6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
God wants my constant prayer. He wants me to cry out to him. However, it often feels like God doesn't hear me. I'm so used to instant gratification that I'm not willing to be patient for God's response. I'm so used to bathing myself in my own selfishness, that I forget that God is....well, God. The savior of my soul and the entire reason I exist. I forget that while God has a plan and good intentions for my life, he doesn't have to operate by my schedule. God doesn't need a reason to do what he wants to do. He does not answer to me.
Like in the parable, God does hear my prayers. They matter. However, I don't think the "...and will not God bring about justice for his chosen..." part means that God answers my prayers the way I want them to be answered. I fail to realize that my life, however brutal it could become (not that it is in the least), is not my life. I often forget that I am a small piece in an astronomically huge puzzle. God has a plan for my piece of the puzzle and the prayer that I want answered the way I want it to be answered, might not be aligned with the rest of the puzzle. It might not fit. God is God and I am one person. The way I sometimes think and act show me that I can never remind myself of that enough.
"...however, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
Will Jesus, the Son of Man and the Son of God; the link between God and humanity, find faith in me when he comes? God can't not hold up his end of the bargain. It's against his divine nature. He will come and he will take me with him. But when he comes, will he find that I was faithful?
I battle a self-pleasing soul everyday. Often, I lose this battle. I give in. I end up choosing to please myself over choosing to worship the God who loves me more than I can even love myself. Will he find me faithful? Sometimes, I feel the answer to that question is a definite NO. Yet, God is not measuring me by my screw-ups, and that feels amazing. What an amazing grace that must be.
Theodon from Lord of the Rings says it best:
"No, we cannot defeat the armies of Mordor, but we will meet them in battle nonetheless."
So I march forward; knowing that I cannot defeat my selfishness. I cannot defeat my cursed, depraved mind. That is, I can't defeat them, apart from the only one who can (Sunday school answer implied).
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