Persistence in Prayer and Faith

THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL: LUKE 18:1-8 (MESSAGE)

Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, “There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me!’ He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, ‘I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.’”

Then the Master said, “Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”

Do you think prayer is essential?  It is important to you?  Do you make time to pray throughout the week?  Is it a challenge or maybe even an afterthought?  If you once enjoyed time in prayer but it has become a chore, what changed in your life?  Were you disappointed in the time you were spending?  Did it feel like a waste?  Were the prayers you prayed not answered the way you expected or in ways you were even able to identify?  Did you feel like it was futile?

What would need to change in your life or your practice for you to feel like prayer is worth your time and energy?  What needs to be reconciled so that you are willing to give prayer and God another try? 

For almost two months, we have been focusing on prayer.  We have been working together in small groups to learn how to pray, to pray for each other and to begin to integrate prayer more fully into our lives.  And here we are with Jesus greeting us with a lesson on how necessary it is for us to be persistent in prayer – to pray consistently – and to never quit. 

I know what it means to never quit or never give up.  However, there have been and are times in my life when that’s all I want to do – throw up my hands and run away.  Looking more fully at the issues, not running away, not giving up but seeing things through has taught me a lot about myself and has helped me understand others in ways that are not comfortable but are always useful.  There is something to Jesus’ appeal for us not to let go of our relationship with God and to keep trying because we know that God never gives up on us.

Please join us this Sunday, October 20 at 10:00am in Christ Church as we about what it means to be tenacious (or at least persistent) in prayer and faith.  Looking forward to seeing you in Church!