05/02/2024
Fervent and persistent prayer was the subject of my devotional reading this morning. E.M. Bounds used the verse that preceded the parable of the widow seeking vengeance from a judge who didn't fear God or regard man as his example of the value that persistent prayer brings. Yet, as we will discover, there is much more to learn here.
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”
Luke 18:1 KJV
There is value in praying to God continuously with all of our heart. He hears our prayers and answers us according to our desire. Although the judge in the parable finally responded to avoid the constant harassment of the widow, God is ever patient and does so not because He is weary of us, but to satisfy our deepest desires. Jesus ended His parable in this way...
“And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:7-8 KJV
So our prayers represent our desires and a casual want doesn't get the same attention as those things we desire with all our heart. That is what fervent prayer reveals about our petitions to God... The priority and degree of desire which we place on our needs.
Interestingly, the widow was asking for something that only God should do. Was she behaving as a Christian ought to by seeking to be avenged in the first place, or should she have let go of her hatred and trusted in God for that vengeance? Scripture tells us not to avenge ourselves in Romans 12…
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:19-21 ESV
So is part of the message here that prayers we pray within the heart of God's will are answered differently than those that are on the margins of His will? Do those that require blood, a life, or punishing someone, demand greater thought and prayer? Should we be praying such prayers at all? Shouldn't we be praying for relief from the suffering, and not for vengeance in the first place?
Jesus makes a statement at the end of this parable which gives us a clue; he says...
"I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?””
Luke 18:8 ESV
In our lives, we should have faith that God will deal with those who transgress against us, and He will do so fairly and with absolute justice. Our concern should be with being relieved of our suffering and for the conversion to Christ of those who persecute us. First Peter 2:21 brings us to this answer; let’s listen…
“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”
1 Peter 2:21-23 ESV
Jesus, our rabbi and high priest, used a parable in which the judge wasn't a Godly man, and in which the widow sought vengeance as her retribution. God did not avenge in this parable, and a follower of Christ didn't request that she be avenged. "God's own elect" as we are called in our focal scripture would be praying much differently.
There may be someone in your life today that is doing you harm or persecuting you in some fashion; resist praying for God to punish them, but instead pray for their conversion to Christ. If a true faith in Jesus entered into them wouldn’t your suffering come to an end? And what if God deemed it necessary to administer vengeance? You should not take pleasure in that, but humbly thank God for ending your suffering.
Our message this morning began by expounding upon the virtues of fervent and persistent prayer, but in the end it taught us more about what we should pray for rather than how we should pray for it. Sometimes the obvious lessons of scripture are only the surface of a much deeper truth... they are something much more valuable than the small price we were originally prepared to pay for them.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for taking my desire for vengeance into your hands, and dispensing it in accordance with your perfect will. Thank you Lord for giving peace to my soul by allowing me to let go of the anger and hated I feel so that I can rest once more in you. Hear my continued prayers each day Lord as I pray for the salvation in Christ of my enemies, and not for retribution that will simply vex my soul by doing harm to another. Show me how there is no relief in harming others, only a deep guilt for having become just like them. Give me the strength to turn my other cheek Father, and to go the extra mile to be good and kind. Let me be merciful, good, and full of grace as Christ is, and to trust in your judgement. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who judges perfectly, and dispenses justice as it is due. Holy are you who sees the beginning from the end, and knows the hearts of my enemies. You will redeem those who will come when you call, and avenge your children against those who will not. You will give spiritual peace, rest, and comfort to us as we hand our anger over to you, knowing full well you will handle it righteously, and not from a heart like ours that is filled with hatred. You have forgiven our sins through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and now we ask that you take away the anger and hatred that will stain the purity of Christ in us. Banish our worldly vices Father so that we can be a Jesus… perfect, and without blemish.
Rich Forbes