Perseverence in prayer

In tomorrow’s Gospel (Luke 18:1-8), the widow persists in her pursuit of justice with the crooked judge.  I always think of my mom when this parable comes around.  She definitely knew how to persist in prayer.  This widow, like my mom, is one tough widow and she eventually wears down the worldly judge who renders a just decision.  Luke connects this parable with the theme of perseverance in prayer: “pray always without becoming weary.”  But the parable is also clearly about the pursuit of justice.  We often pray for justice, but how often do we see our pursuit of justice as prayer?

When we’re truly convinced that injustice must be addressed, no matter the odds, then we’ll persist in our pursuit of justice.  And this conviction comes from God.  As Christians, God calls each of us to work for justice, to hear the cry of the poor and to love the most vulnerable in our society.  This may manifest itself differently in each person and we each need to discern how and where God is calling us.  Only then does our work for justice become a prayer as we discover our calling.  God’s calling ignites a fire within our hearts, deepening our calling so we “pray always without becoming weary.”  God gives us the energy to pursue justice with persistence like the widow.

We often misunderstand the purpose of seeking God's help in prayer.  We see prayer primarily as a means of controlling God for material advantages for ourselves or others; we do not see prayer as a way of acknowledging the most fundamental relationship of our life, our relationship as creature to our Creator-Father.  But through persistent prayer we have the occasion to become more aware that as creatures we are not self-sufficient but are dependent beings, like children to loving parents.  And through persistent prayer we slowly come to realize that our Father-Creator does respond to every prayer.  The response is often the best gift God can give—God’s own presence through the Holy Spirit. With this presence we have the guidance and strength to handle life's stress and problems.

It occurs to me while writing this that Christmas is just 40 days away from today.   God used 40-day periods to transform individuals, communities ... and the entire world.  From Noah in the flood (Genesis) to Moses on the mountain (Exodus) to the disciples after Christ's resurrection (Acts), it is clear to me that God sees the transformation of His people when they accept and meet 40-day challenges.

There are plenty of “40-day Challenges” to participate in, if you want to Google them.  Or make up a challenge of your own that involves prayer, fasting, and service to others.  If you start today, you’ll finish on Christmas Day.

Christmas is the day when we celebrate Christ’s “first coming”.  So it’s a great time to reflect on Jesus’ question at the end of the Gospel tomorrow, “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”