Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 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? 8 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?”
Why isn’t this widow called The Persistant Whiner? I find myself whining about my own prayer list that seems to get longer and longer. It’s unusual that almost immediately I see the “more” of this parable for me. This simple story of a whining widow has made me realize how easy it is to have one foot in both camps. This parable has made me aware that I’ve been praying by a wrong set of rules from a judge who cares more about goals than God. God, forgive me, that’s a depressing “more.”
I’ve begun to think of the requests on my prayer list as if they are goals that God needs to act on so I can check them off. The power of prayer is not the achievement of a goal but the persistent pleading for “justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night.” Lord, change my heart so my prayers follow your rules and become a persistent part of what empowers your justice, not my shorter list. Amen
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