Does it still blow your mind that you can speak to God?
It is an insane privilege that at any moment, we can communicate with our Creator. But sadly, after being in church for a while, many people get so used to this truth that they completely lose the wonder of it. Prayer starts to feel less like a privilege and more like a chore. We'd give anything to speak to a celebrity, but we'd rather watch Netflix than speak to God Almighty.
But imagine for a second that you couldn't talk to God anymore. When difficult things happen or people you love are hurting, you have no way to bring a petition before God. All you can do is cross your fingers and wish people good luck. How empty does that sound compared with making a request before the omnipotent God who knows you by name?
So many people think about their faith in terms of "have to's." I am a Christian so I have to go to church, read my Bible, avoid pornography, watch my tongue, etc. We've reduced Christianity to a set of rules and restrictions and then we wonder why people are not attracted to it. But the true heart and thrill of Christianity is that all day long, we have access to God. Every moment of our lives, we have the opportunity to fellowship with Him.
I don't want you to walk away from this article feeling guilty about how little you pray, or resolving that you "have to" pray more. I hope that as you read this, childlike wonder towards prayer stirs in your heart again and leaves you longing to commune with God, even as He longs to commune with you.
The Persistent Widow
In Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable about the power of persistent prayer:
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:1-8)
Right at the outset of the parable, we're told why Jesus shared this story: so that we would keep praying and not lose heart. Sometimes we overcomplicate parables or analyze them to death, but here we're told exactly what Jesus wants us to take away from this. So ask yourself now: Are there things or people in your life that you have given up praying for? If so, let these words fill you with faith again and renew your determination to persevere in prayer.
The widow in the story is pestering an unrighteous judge for justice, which he eventually grants just to get rid of her. Jesus says the moral of the story is that if a wicked evil judge will listen to you just because you bug him enough, how do you think a righteous, good, loving Judge who is so crazy about you that He sent His son to die for you will respond if you cry out to him day and night?
We have so many advantages over the widow in this story. First of all, she was a stranger to the judge. Meanwhile, in this passage Jesus says won't God give justice to His elect? When I come before God, I'm not a stranger to Him - I'm one of His chosen ones, His children. Secondly, the widow had to plead her case to an unrighteous judge, whereas we come before a God who is perfectly fair, wise and just. He knows our situation and what we need infinitely better than we do, and we can bring our requests to Him in full confidence that He will act justly. Third, the widow came before the judge on her own. But the Bible says we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, who intercedes on our behalf. And lastly, it says that the widow's petitions bothered the judge, meanwhile we have a God who loves when we cry to Him. Remember, the whole reason Jesus tells this story is to encourage us to pray always!
A Call to Faith
For all the advantages that we have over the widow, there is one advantage that she had over us - she could physically see the judge before her. She knew whether or not he was paying attention to her words. We can't see God, and so it requires faith to know that He is listening when we pray. This is why the passage ends with Jesus asking, "when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" God listens when we pray - His faithfulness is not in question. The question is whether He will find faith in us. Will we hold fast our confidence in Him and persevere in prayer?
Prayer is one of the most precious rights and privileges we have as children of God. As you finish this article, take a few minutes to thank Him for this gift. Ask Him to stir your affections and increase your faith, such that you long "always to pray and not lose heart."
