Luke 18: 1 – 8 (Living Bible) 

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must keep praying until the answer comes.

“There was a city judge,” he said, “a very godless man who had great contempt for everyone. A widow of that city came to him frequently to appeal for justice against a man who had harmed her. The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she got on his nerves.

“‘I fear neither God nor man,’ he said to himself, ‘but this woman bothers me. I’m going to see that she gets justice, for she is wearing me out with her constant coming!’”

 Then the Lord said, “If even an evil judge can be worn down like that, don’t you think that God will surely give justice to his people who plead with him day and night? Yes! He will answer them quickly! But the question is: When I, the Messiah, return, how many will I find who have faith and are praying?”

Romans 5: 3-4 (New Living Translation)

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

Reflection:

Life wouldn’t be so hard if it weren’t so Daily: wisdom shared by Mrs. T., the quintessential church lady. I agree. It is so exhausting to manage the recurring tasks and challenges of the everyday. Today, my knees hurt the most. Yesterday, it was my arthritic hands. And tomorrow, I change the bed linens. Oh my Lands, I don’t want to nag or complain. Shouldn’t I be like the beatific, Hallmark movie heroine, quietly smiling and never complaining?

But, wait! Jesus sanctioned nagging! In the parable of the persistent widow, the judge gave the widow relief not because he was swayed by the merit of her argument. It was because she kept showing up. She knew the judge was the one who could help her. She was in the right place with the right request. It would just take time.

When Luke wrote his gospel, many believers had grown weary of waiting for the “day of the Lord,” when Jesus would return and deliver his people from oppression. As each day passed and Jesus did not return, their zeal and, indeed, their faith, waned. It had been much the same for the Jews with whom Jesus shared this parable. The time for deliverance had long passed. Jesus showed them not to give up hope.

Widows had little social standing. Prayer was considered a submissive activity. But, here, the widow’s prayers become effective tools to achieve the justice she sought. Her power came from her commitment. Her faith was tenacity in the face of the impossible.

We must face the Daily with the same persistence as the widow. The relief we pray for may be daunting: our children’s welfare, an end to corrosive partisanship, food for hungry children, healing a marriage, knees that don’t hurt. Though we are praying to the One who can help, it may seem as if his answers are never coming. 

We can become prayer warriors. It’s a hard discipline — because it’s daily. It’s hard because there often is no instant fix. It’s hard because our human minds can’t imagine a solution. But Paul, in his letter to the Romans, promises value in the struggle. Value in the “not yet.” “Not yet” helps us develop tenacity. Tenacity helps us develop a right spirit. A right spirit strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

Prayer: 

Dear God, 

Help us learn to conquer the Daily with tenacity. Help us to stand firm in the “Not Yet.” We hold confidently to the hope of salvation through your Son. Thank you. Amen.