Persistent prayer. Luke 18.

Then Jesus told them a parable to show them they should always pray and not lose heart. (Luke 18:1 NET)

I didn't need to go any further than the first verse this morning, before I knew what it was God really wanted me to pay attention to today. I really don't even need the parable. I just need to trust His words -- always pray and not lose heart.

Like many of Jesus' words, there are times in our life when it's easy to hear them, and not really be impacted by them. Of course we're supposed to always to pray. And if our life has been blessed most of the time, maybe we've not really had to pray for a long time, waiting for an answer. And I mean a long time. Take the Jewish people, for example. When John the Baptist arrived on the scene, they had been waiting for more than 400 years for their deliverer, the Messiah. That's generations of praying. (Imagine hearing the admonition to pray always from the lips of the Deliverer Himself. Or imagine Simeon's delight when Jesus is brought to the temple.)

But nearly everyone faces at least one long-standing prayer request that seemingly will never be answered. Earlier Jesus taught His disciples how to pray -- honoring the Father, seeking His will, remembering our dependence on Him for everything, then asking for what we need including forgiveness, which we are to ask for with a forgiving spirit. Now He teaches us how often to pray -- all the time. His teaching lets us know that we shouldn't expect an immediate answer, so we're not to get discouraged over God's silence in the interim. And in that "long" time, the key is not to lose heart. In that long time, the sincerity of our faith is measured by the persistence in our prayer. (And Jesus also taught that this faith need only be as great a mustard seed to be effective.)

But in the midst of that long time, the reality of these teachings has an impact that isn't there when we're not in the midst of the long time. The woman in the parable eventually has her case heard by the judge. But until then, the need to persist in requesting that her case be heard is paramount. What if the judge had delayed for 1 year longer? Five years? Ten years? Depending on the need, depending on her hope, she might have reached a day when she lost hope, and gave up. Have you been there? Has God required that much persistence in your prayer? A time when you reached the outer edge of hope? It is at that moment that these words of Jesus can help. Or not. Some will receive them in despair. Some will receive them in renewal. But they're no longer just words Jesus spoke. They are reality.

I'm not sure I've really expressed what is on my heart. Let me try this. Suppose you have a friend who has been out of work for an extended time. Bills are piling up, doors continue to close, and life is generally very difficult. You care for this friend, and pray for them on a regular basis. You help out as you can, even sharing from your surplus. But everything continues to go downhill for your friend. Maybe they fall and sprain a wrist, and are unable to work at what they can do. Or their child gets sick. I think you have the picture. So one day, you are talking with them and you bring up this story Jesus told. How do you think they'll react? Depending on how you bring it up, there are several possibilities: anger, because it's easy for you to talk about not giving up hope; tears, because it's difficult to keep up hope in the face of the continued difficulties; bitterness, that God continues to remain silent; gratitude, for reminding them of this promise.

Depending on what you've experienced in life, and your own level of empathy, you, too, may be shocked by a negative response. How is it possible for these words of Jesus not to help? The question becomes, are they platitude for you, or living water? Have you drunk deeply of their truth in a dry, barren place, or only sipped them after a workout in the gym? There's no accusation in what I'm saying, but a recognition that until we're called upon to rely wholeheartedly on Jesus' promise in Luke 18:1, we may not fully comprehend what it means to do so. And while there's no accusation, there is a word of caution. Usually, hurting people need our sympathy, not our advice. And quoting this verse may come off as unwelcome advice. See the book of Job if this is at all unclear.

I needed this reminder today. As we continue in our long time, we're grateful for all the blessings that He has given us, including those delivered by your hands, and other friends' hands. Praise God that we not only have Jesus as friend and brother, but that we have this lesson preserved for us to receive today.

There's a bunch more in this chapter, and once again I encourage anyone who would like to, to add a comment on what they read in Luke 18.