A tale is told about a small town that had historically been “dry,” but then a local businessman decided to build a tavern. A group of Christians from a local church were concerned and planned an all-night prayer meeting to ask God to intervene.
Shortly thereafter lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground. The owner of the bar sued the church, claiming that the prayers of the congregation were responsible, but the church hired a lawyer to argue in court that they were not responsible.
The presiding judge, after his initial review of the case, stated that “no matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear. The tavern owner believes in prayer and the Christians do not.”
What about us? Do we believe in prayer?
A Gallup poll of teenagers in 2005 found that 84% of all teens agreed that a moment of silence to allow students to pray if they want to should be allowed in public schools.
In a 1988 Gallup poll, it was found that 84% of Americans actually engage in conversational prayer; speaking to God in their own words, and that 88% of all people who pray experience a deep sense of peace and well-being, feel comforted and empowered in crises, and experience God’s grace in a particular way.
A 1999 Gallup poll reported that 9 in 10 Americans pray, a proportion they say that has not changed in over 50 years of polling and that 3 of 4 Americans pray daily.
The statistics show that prayer is important to people. They show that we do pray, and that we get results when we pray.
But if you are anything like me you will have some struggles. I know I need to pray, and I do pray; a lot, it seems to me, at various times and in specific situations.
I am pretty good in that the first thing I try to remember when I get up in the morning is to give the day to the Lord and ask him to use me for his purposes, and the last thing as I am lying in bed that I do before drifting off into sleep is to pray.
But I confess I am not as regular with it as I should be. I really should have a time specific to spend in prayer – in God’s presence – every day.
I used to, but I tend to be too busy to pray in the morning and too tired at night; at least that is my excuse. And I think that is the Devil’s greatest tool: to subvert Christians’ lives, that they become so busy doing things, even good things for God, or for the church, that they are too busy to spend time talking with God.
It is kind of like the husband who never tells his wife he loves her, never spends time with her and when challenged he says “What do you mean, look at all I am providing for you”. Remember Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof asking his wife Golda: Do you love me?
But eventually, in our relationship with God, just as in our relationships with our spouses, non-communication has a negative effect on the relationship.
Maybe that is why Jesus gave us this story we hear in the gospel this morning where he tells his disciples to always pray and not give up.
Here is a widow who had someone trying, most likely, to cheat her out of her dead husband’s inheritance.
So she went to the only person who can give her justice, a judge who didn’t have any fear of God, nor did he care what other people thought about him.
He was probably a Gentile who paid the Roman authorities for the position. Judgeships were sold and bought, and a judge could make a good living from the bribes that were commonly given to get “justice”.
Our widow had no money to bribe this wicked judge, so her only recourse was to come before him repeatedly crying, “Vindicate me against my adversary! Grant me justice against my adversary!”
He dismisses her claim, but she keeps coming back, constantly “bothering” him for justice. The word bother literally means to “poke in the eye.” her constant entreaties poked the judge in the eye so much that he finally ruled in her favor.
So what does this story teach us about prayer?
1st. in the adapted title of a once popular Reggae song: Don’t worry- be praying.
Note that the widow didn’t sit at home worrying about her problem. She took action and went to the only person with the power to help her–the judge.
In verse one Jesus said we ought always to pray and not lose heart.” The words “lose heart” literally mean to “be filled with bad” –the context would imply bad thoughts such as anger, frustration, things that lead to worry.
One writer says: “worry is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster, and belief in defeat…worry is a magnet that attracts negative circumstances…worry is wasting today’s time to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles.” Worry is like rocking in a rocking chair; it gives you something to do, but you never go anywhere with it.
When you face a challenging circumstance that is out of our control we have two choices: Worry or pray to the one who loves you and has the power to fix it.
Secondly, in the words of Winston Churchill: Never, never, never give up! Be persistent. Don’t quit.
The poor widow kept on begging the judge to grant her justice. She constantly bombarded him with her petition. She did not quit her prayers, she did not give up; she persisted.
Consider the biblical examples of those that prayed persistently. Abraham’s intercession for Sodom, Moses interceding for Israel, Hannah praying for a son, Elijah praying for rain, David calling out for God, Jesus praying for his disciples, the early church’s prayers for each other, Paul’s prayers for the churches.
Biblical prayer is persistent prayer.
Bill Hybels tells about an experience after a baptism service in their church. He bumped into a woman in the stairwell who was crying. When he asked her if she was all right she said, ‘no, I’m struggling.’ She said, ‘my mom was baptized today. I prayed for her every day for almost 20 years. The reason I’m crying is because I came this close to giving up on her.’
And she then related how at different times during those twenty years, in moments of doubt she heard herself say “Who needs this? God isn’t listening.” “Why am I wasting my breath?” “This is absurd. I’m just a fool.”
But, she continued, I just kept trying, kept praying. Even with weak faith I kept praying. Then mom gave her life to Christ, and she was baptized today. I will never doubt the power of prayer again.”
Remember to whom we are praying.
In this parable, the widow persistently begs an indifferent disinterested, uncaring judge, but Jesus contrasts this judge with the God who loves us. Jesus says “and will not God bring justice to his chosen? Will he not answer their prayers quickly?”
That is the truth. God answers prayers. John the disciple tells us (1 John 5:14-15) “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of him.”
Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple was criticized about his praying that any prayers that seemed to be answered were mere coincidence. He replied: that may be so but I notice that “When I pray, coincidences happen; when I don’t, they don’t.”
God always answers, but in his ways.
God may answer your prayer quickly –
Jesus used the word “speedily” in verse 8 to describe how God answers prayer. The word Jesus used means “suddenly.” You pray and then boom! God gives the answer.
My wife does this all the time: Lord we need a parking space. Boom, there it is. Only when she is driving, of course! And when she loses something: Lord, I need to find whatever it is that is lost. Boom she finds it.
Drives me nuts! But He does answer quickly.
>God may say yes but not yet.
God’s delays in answering are not God’s denials. Our sense of timing is flawed, but God’s timing is impeccable. So pray persistently, and then wait patiently for his answer.
Ruth Bell Graham, the wife of Billy Graham, once said, “If God answered every prayer of mine, I would have married the wrong man seven times!”