Weary

I sometimes get in a hurry. Well, actually a lot of the time. I hurry to get to one place or the other, or to get a project done or to finish a task. I hurry myself and I even rush others at times. Sometimes hurrying leads to carelessness and can have unintended consequences.

I have felt a little weary in the place of prayer lately. Praying fervently and not seeing immediate results. I was saying to the Lord yesterday, that I am tired of praying for this or that. I am impatient, and have a desire for immediate answers and solutions.

But I cannot hurry the God of Creation.

One of my favorite stories that Jesus told is the Parable of the Persistent Widow. The story, found in Luke chapter 18 tells of a woman who would not give up in bring her request before the judge. My favorite line in the story is the judge, saying, "I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!"

Jesus told his disciples this story so that they would "always pray and not give up." I am asking the Lord to help me learn about this. Being persistent in a place of prayer may not mean praying one time or for one week or one month or even one year.

I think of all those who have labored in prayer for years and may never have seen the results of their prayer in this lifetime. But they prayed with a confident expectation that the Lord heard them and answers prayers.

Yes, He does.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'

"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet 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!' "

And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I 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?"