Pray Always, And Never Lose Heart

An elderly lady was once asked by a young man who had grown weary in the fight, whether he ought to give up the struggle. "I am beaten every time," he said dolefully. "I feel I must give up." "Did you ever notice," she replied, smiling into the troubled face before her, "that when the Lord told the discouraged fishermen to cast their nets again, it was right in the same old spot where they had been fishing all night and had caught nothing?"   -Source Unknown

I'd like to use today's message to discuss the value of persistence in prayer. Persistence may seem a very humble virtue to consider. Persistence has nothing particularly shiny, or glamorous, or heroic about it. It's not a warrior in flashing armor astride a white stallion who gallops in to save the day. It's not a power broker in an expensive suit issuing commands from behind a bank of microphones. Persistence is much more modest than that, much more hidden and humble.

Persistence in prayer is like a helpless widow who just won't quit (Luke 18:1-8). That woman is tenacious. She is resolute, dogged, determined. She won't be put off and she won't take no for an answer. Push her down and she only springs back up like weeds. That widow so pesters the unjust judge -- she so wears him down with her repeated pleas for justice -- that the hard-hearted judge finally gives in and grants the request so that he can be rid of her at last!

Therefore, if a selfish, indifferent judge will relent and grant justice in the face of such persistence, how much more, says Jesus, will “God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to [God] day and night” (Luke 18:7)! God is nothing like that unjust judge -- God is generous, abounding in mercy, and eager to bring justice. Similarly, Jesus gives his disciples a word of encouragement. “Pray always,” he tells them, “and do not lose heart” (c.f. Luke 18:1). The Gospel writer tells this parable because Luke knows, Jesus knows, and God knows how easy it is to lose heart.

The early Christian communities were suffering persecution. They were praying, as Jesus taught them, “Thy kingdom come.” They were waiting anxiously for his return in glory. They were waiting for the consummation of all things, for the great day when justice and mercy and kindness would prevail at last on earth, and everything broken would be mended. In like fashion, everything alienated and estranged, would be reconciled and healed. But, that day never seemed to arrive. Christ's return in glory seemed to be delayed. Had God forgotten them? Would the peace and justice for which they longed never come? Was their faith a total lie?

Have doubting, inside voices also found a foothold in your soul? Are there times when you feel so overwhelmed by the darkness of the world, that you want to crawl into a safe little cubbyhole, and pull the covers over your head? Are there times when you want to raise a fist in cynicism and blame, or to drown your fears in too much alcohol, television, shopping, or busyness? If you're familiar what it's like to feel discouraged, disappointed, or just plain depleted, then this message is definitely for you!

Persistence is what we need in a time like this, persistence in faith, persistence in prayer. Persistence is useful in many human enterprises, and it is essential in prayer. Why is it essential? What is the value of persistence in prayer? For one thing, it brings us closer to God. Being persistent in prayer means that we keep showing up, keep making ourselves available for encounter, keep sharing what is truly on our minds and hearts.

Prayer is not like speed dating. I've never done speed dating, but I know that it is a kind of breathless, round-robin, event in which you meet a great many people, very quickly, on a superficial level. Persistent prayer is not like that. It's about taking our time and daring to go deep so that we can form a long-lasting relationship with the divine. Of course, the great promise of prayer is that we don't have to settle for second-hand information about God, or for concepts of God, or for ideas about God.

The promise of prayer is that we can come to know God directly, through our own experience. It's one thing to hear a pastor tell you, over and over, Sunday after Sunday, “God loves you. God is with you. God will never let you go.” But, it's quite another thing to discover that truth for oneself; to come to that knowledge oneself in the depths of one's being.

Besides, I can think of a couple of good reasons for us to be persistent in prayer. The first reason is because that's how we cultivate a long-term relationship with God. The second reason is that prayer changes us. Prayer makes us real. If we are honest with God, if we are candidly sharing our hopes and fears, our confusion and disappointment, then we're getting up close and personal.

In my own experience of trying to pray like the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8), and to bring before God my longing for justice and peace, I have discovered something. The more I weep over the suffering of the world, and the more ardently I long for the healing of our relationships with one another and with the earth, the more I sense that it's God's sorrow that is moving through me. And, God's longing for healing fills my soul, as well.

I hope that you've had that experience, too. It seems that the desire in our hearts for a world in which all beings can flourish is not a desire that begins with us. It's God's desire flowing into us, and God's desire that is being expressed in our prayer. When we hunger and thirst for righteousness, it is God within us who is hungering and thirsting; when we long for peace, it is God's longing that we share; when we pray with compassion for the poor and weak, it is God's compassion that we experience.

The importance of daily communication through prayer cannot be overestimated. It is so important that it's mentioned over 250 times in Scripture! Praying puts us in touch with inner resources that we never knew we had. It can fill us with energy, confidence, and determination. Yet, prayer also teaches us to let go. Contemplative prayer, in particular, in which we notice and accept every moment as it comes, can also ease the ego's addictive grasping and its urge to control.

In closing, dear friends, remember this. Jesus is saying to you,“Pray always, and do not lose heart. Do not lose heart.”

Scripture: Luke 11:9-10; Galatians 6:9; Proverbs 24:16; 2 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Philippians 3:14; 1 John 5:15

Prayer: Guide me lord, you are my heart you are my strength, you are my hope. Teach me Lord, and guide my way I love you more each passing day. Amen

-a special thanks to Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas

Have a blessed day,

Kim