Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Never stop praying

"And the Lord said, 'Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will
not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to
Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He
will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son
of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?'" Luke 18:6-8


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The pressing question isn't whether God will hear our prayers and
make everything right. The question is this: Will we keep praying?
God won't quit on us, but will we quit on God? That's why Jesus
asked whether "when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the
earth?" Jesus was wondering if anyone would still be praying and
believing when He returns to earth to answer our prayers and make
all things right.
There are some prayers we can let go of with relative ease. We
can get over lost opportunities, small dreams, hopes for a life that
goes a little easier.
There are other prayers where circumstances force us to let go.
God's "no" is permanent and obvious. The disease didn't go away. The
son flunked the course. The battle was lost.
But there are other prayers we cannot - should not - stop praying.
Prayers for friends who find life a constant physical or psychological
or spiritual struggle. For rulers and people in authority. For our
own and others' spiritual maturity. For loved ones and the lost
wherever they are who still don't know Christ. To give up on these
prayers denies the deepest longings of our hearts, our sense of what
is right and good, and our faith in God's power and presence. Until
God says "no" in a clear and unmistakable way, we are to pray.
That's the point of the parable. God wants us to keep on praying
and asking. Jesus is saying, Don't quit. Don't ever give up."

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"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

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