- Most of what is enduring in our world requires persistence and faithfulness.
A lot is mysterious about this thing called Christian spirituality, and much is not in the least bit mysterious. Case in point: as regards our prayer lives—how can we discern what pleases Him and what does not?
As a professor who teaches about discipleship and spiritual formation, I have plentiful opportunities to talk about prayer. I find myself returning again and again to a story in Luke that Jesus told His disciples so that they might be steady in prayer and not lose heart.
An unrighteous judge was approached by a widow who, frankly, wouldn’t take no for an answer. In Luke’s words, she “kept coming.” She pestered, she disturbed, she nagged, she hectored. He initially refused to budge, but she continued to annoy and provoke and exasperate the judge until he finally gave in. He exclaimed that she “beat me down.”
Because she bothered him relentlessly, he surrendered and gave her justice.
Just this morning, a friend asked me – “Why do you think God does that…makes us stay persistent before granting us our heart’s desires?”
Not being omniscient on such matters, I looked back down at the text and noticed the last six words of the parable: “…will he find faith on earth?”
Maybe he has us plead, beg, and persevere in order to build our faith.
Most of what is enduring in our world requires persistence and faithfulness. The Chinese bamboo tree provides a metaphor for this truth. Someone plants the seed and daily waters and fertilizes it for five years. Nothing discernible seems to happen; but if it is carefully nurtured, a root system is established that enables the plant to shoot up 90 feet in just six weeks in that fifth year.
I previously shared the story of how my dad committed his life to Christ when he lay near death in a hospital, fearful that he would leave a widow and three small children buried under a mountain of debt. But he bothered God and the Lord raised him up. The debt was a heavy burden, but through financial duress (which probably strengthened the family) and faith, he established a godly legacy. He passed away in his 60s so didn’t live to see the full impact of his lifelong fidelity to Christ: faithfulness in his footsteps for the glory of God.
There are myriad historical examples of persistent faithfulness and prayer. William Wilberforce sent a letter to John Wesley as the latter was on his deathbed and asked Wesley whether he should continue in the fight against the slave trade in England. Wesley wrote back six days before his death, “Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them stronger than God? O be not weary of well-doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of His might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.”
And thus Wilberforce continued. For 46 years, he worked to abolish the slavery. Three days before his death, he learned that he had won. The Emancipation Bill had passed.
Bother God. According to Jesus, it is a vital component of good prayer and the good life.
Frank Corder
