Persistence in Prayer

"ask... seek... knock..."

Luke 11:9

The Apple of my Eye gave me some great news today.  But to fully appreciate the greatness of this news, you have know some background facts.  As I shared recently, Hubby has been looking for a job for quite some time.  He's been doing temp and freelance work in the 2 1/2 years (yes, you read that right) that he's been out of work, but actually he was so unhappy at his job, that he's actually been looking for a job for about 3 1/2 years.  It's not an unusual story in this economy, but it doesn't make it any easier, knowing that.  Being without a steady salary has been a long, faith-testing trial for us, and for our Amazing Boy and Awesome Girl.  And during this time, the most powerful weapon we have had, has been prayer.

Well, the great news is that The Apple of my Eye has a job interview later this week.  He has sent out thousands of resumes in the past three years, and has gone on who-knows-how-many interviews, without our desired result, but every positive response from a potential employer brings us a jolt of hope.  And when he told me today about the interview, my first thought was to get an email out to our prayer warriors.  But then I thought, "what am I going to say to them?"  I just felt like I've made this same request so many times, that I'm afraid they're going to feel like I've been crying "wolf" all the other times.  I felt like I had to phrase the prayer request just right so they'll have the same urgency or faith in their prayers for us, and not think something like, "here we go again..."

Of course, those thoughts passed quickly.  Those people in our lives who are prayer warriors are so, because of their fervency, and their endurance.  And I think I was projecting some of my feelings onto my praying friends, because I honestly didn't know what to pray.  What is there to say to God?  He knows our hearts' desires.  He knows what we want, and how badly we want it.  And there were times, especially early on in this trial, when my anxiety about our future hit a peak.  Nights I cried out to Him, begging Him for this chapter in our lives to end.  But He said, "not yet."

And then the next time Hubby had a job interview, I prayed again, "Your will be done; please let this one be Your will!"  And He said "not yet."

I am reminded tonight of the parable that Jesus told that spoke to this exact issue.  It's in Luke 18.  In a certain town there was a widow who kept coming to the judge, pleading with him to grant her justice.  When he finally gave in, he specifically said it was because "this widow keeps bothering me".  And the Lord finished by saying, "And will not God bring about justice for His holy 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."

There are two very significant things about this parable.  They are the first verse, and the last.  Verse 1 says that the reason Jesus told His disciples this parable was "to show them that they should always pray and not give up."  Not a lot of Jesus' parables had such an obvious goal.  Often, the lesson of a parable requires some study; in this one, we are told what He wants us to learn ~ that we should always pray and not give up.  Always pray; do not give up!

The last verse of this parable is verse 7:  "However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"  I realize anew that God's desire is for our faith to grow.  Prayers that don't have obvious responses from God call for more faith.  It's our only choice, other than turning our backs on Him entirely.  He expects us to have the same urgency, the same fervency in our hundredth prayer as in our first.  Our prayers may not always be accompanied by anxiety, or by tears, but He should know that we trust in His will, and in His plan.  He understands weariness, but He expects perseverance.

~ "Everyone who asks receives; 

the one who seeks finds; 

and to the one who knocks, 

the door will be opened." ~

Luke 11:10