Be persistent

There are so many things in this life that we just don’t understand. For example, we don’t really understand disease. Why is a youngster perfectly healthy for 13 years of his life and then suddenly just happens to be in a place where he suddenly encounters some germ or bacteria that invades his body and destroys it?

And we don’t understand accidents. They are so random and indiscriminate. You start out a day that is like any other day and then something happens in a matter of seconds and life is forever different.

On and on we could go with our list of things we don’t really understand.

And I suppose one thing we have to add to our list of things we don’t understand is why prayers are not always answered.

One of the things I struggle with is how to pray for someone who is perhaps gravely ill in hospital. Should I pray for a miracle cure when I feel that miracles rarely seem to happen? I know there are some Christians who will tell you differently, and I’ve heard some Christians say that they’ve prayed for something miraculous and it has happened. But I’ve not witnessed such miracles.

And if such miracles happen that is wonderful and amazing. But why aren’t my prayers having that effect? Why aren’t yours?

And we come to the age old question “Does prayer really work?” And the answer to that question isn’t straightforward.

When we pray, we often are praying for God to intercede. For God to intervene. As the writer Anne Dillard puts it we’re asking God to stick his finger in, if only now and again. And occasionally it may seem as if he has done so.

In the first book of Chronicles chapter 4: 9 – 11 is the story of a man named Jabez. That is the whole of his story:

9 Jabez was more honourable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez,[c] saying, ‘I gave birth to him in pain.’ 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request.

“And God granted his request” Why?

Skip forward to the 21st century and there are some parts of the Christian church that preach what is sometimes called a “Health & Wealth” gospel. And part of that message is that we should pray for ourselves and for our own well-being. This strand of the church would want us to be selfish in our prayers and this strand of the church would say it is ok to ask God to increase the value of our wealth or for our own better health. And, of course, those Christians of that persuasion will also often say if you pray hard enough your prayer will be answered.

That makes the rest of me feel great when I look at my 7 year old Skoda and take my inhaler. I’m clearly not praying hard enough.

As a minister and before then, I have met over the years some wonderful, sincere, dedicated pray-ers. People who pray heartfelt prayers, persistently and whose prayer requests aren’t fulfilled. We once belonged to a prayer group that contained two amazingly powerful pray-ers. The two people I am thinking of prayed regularly for other people and situations in the town and around the world.

So how do we explain that one of them – I’ll call her Judy – died in her early 70s from a massive stroke? You can’t tell me that she wasn’t praying hard enough? Or maybe those Christians who believe in the health and wealth gospel would turn round and say that my friend Judy should have been praying for her own health and well-being? Well I know what Judy would say to that! She was always far more concerned for others than praying for herself.

In Luke 18: 1 – 8 Luke tells us that

“Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”

Jesus doesn’t resolve the mystery of answered and unanswered prayer but he tries to teach his disciples persistence.

It’s a great story with two unforgettable characters. We have a harsh judge who has no conscience and “ … who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.” And then we have a widow who is poor, helpless, defenceless and in need of justice.

The scene must be something like a courtroom with the judge seated on a dais, throngs of people waiting to present their case before him, some represented by lawyers, others just appearing for themselves and shouting to get the judge’s attention. The woman is one of these. She can’t afford a lawyer and so every day she comes to court and tries to get the attention of the judge with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.”

Every day she does this and every day the judge ignores her. But she keeps on at him. Maybe she follows him home? Maybe she just keeps shouting in court. She keeps on badgering him over and over again. And he keeps on ignoring her. And she keeps on shouting “Grant me justice against my adversary.”

Finally, the judge has enough. He caves in and gives her a favourable judgment.

And Jesus concludes the parable by saying:

7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?

And that is a key point. The issue is justice. We should be praying persistently for justice Jesus is saying. And what after all is justice but the right outcome. The wise outcome.

We should not be praying to God to get what we want or what we need. We have to understand that what we really need and what we think we want, are not the same thing.

Many people have had experience of praying for someone who is ill or who is in a difficult situation. We pray for that person to be made well or to be relieved of that situation and what we pray for doesn’t happen. That is one of the most difficult of tests of our faith. We pray, we ask God for healing or whatever and it doesn’t happen. Where’s the justice in that?

I don’t know. It doesn’t seem justice to conduct the funeral of a boy who died of cancer as I have done in the past. And yet our faith requires us to be persistent. Those words of Jesus again:

7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?

It is so hard to do when we see an injustice done. We shout out at God, we rage against God. “Why don’t you do something about it?!!!!!”

The only book about Prayer I’ve read that makes sense to me is Philip Yancey’s “Prayer – does it make a difference?” And in that book he deals with this parable. He makes the point that in our prayers we may sometimes feel like the widow – alone, powerless, a victim of unfairness. The truth is the opposite. We have a direct line to the Father. We have an advocate (the Holy Spirit) who speaks directly to God; God who has nothing in common with the judge in the story. The judge in the story was unconcerned whereas God is concerned and, Jesus reminds us, God will bring justice. Jesus has assured us of that.

And yet despite hearing this assurance I wonder

“How long do I have to keep praying before something changes? God how long do we keep praying for example ‘Your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ before that actually happens? God, people have been praying that for 2,000 years and look at the mess we’re still in!”

I wish I knew how persistent we have to be. Unfortunately I was away that day at college so I don’t know the answer. All I know is we look at some of the great Christian figures in history and see persistence in action. We see William Wilberforce coming to Parliament year in year out pleading for justice before slavery was abolished. We see Martin Luther King addressing civil rights protestors in Selma Alabama and saying to them “How long? …. How long? …. How long will it take?”

We have to believe that God knows about the things we pray about. If there is anyone anywhere praying for God to intervene and put an end to their oppression, eventually that prayer will be heard and that which is wrong will be set right. That’s the promise of Scripture. We can do no more than trust God.
Now, where does that leave us? Let me tell you a story.

A young black man once asked his minister why their people had to suffer so much poverty, hardship, and oppression. “Why doesn’t God do something?” he wailed.

“He has,” said that wise pastor. “He has created you.”

And so Desmond Tutu became the answer to his own question. And we know how hard Desmond Tutu worked for justice.

So why doesn’t God do something about someone we love dying? God has. He’s given us a wonderful healthcare system. He’s given us Prospect Hospice.

So why doesn’t God do something about children dying of HIV in Africa then? He has. He’s created the drugs they need. He’s created us to be alongside them to give voice to the voiceless. To lobby powerful governments and pharmaceutical companies for justice.

That’s a good lesson for you and me. While we are waiting for God to bring in a perfect and just society, to bring in his Kingdom, you and I are God’s answer to the injustice in our world. We are if you like the answer to prayer. That’s what it means to take up a cross and follow Jesus. It’s not a comfortable position to be in. It’s not popular. But it is Christ’s way, the way of persistence.

7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?

Yes he will – through you and me.