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| Yonder They Come!! |
One day there was a little girl that had become very ill and she was unable to make the trip to the field. They told my mom, who was very young herself, to stay and see after this little girl while they went to work.
My mom said that shortly after they left, the little girl became unresponsive. My mom tried and tried to get the little girl to wake up but she would not. She said she turned a blue-ish hue and my mom could tell that she had passed away. This was probably in the late 1940s before 911 and cell phones. I'm betting they didn't even have a phone in the house.
After several hours, they returned from the cotton field. My mom ran out to meet them. She shouted, "She won't wake up! She won't wake up!" They ran inside and she said they began to cry loudly and wail long into the night. For hours and hours they prayed and prayed that the little girl would revive. And finally... she woke up.
This little girl came back to life. My mother said that she fully recovered and they played together many days after that.
One of my favorite parables that Jesus taught was The Parable of the Persistent Widow. The principle of the parable is to show that we should always pray and never give up.
"There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”
Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:1-8)Jesus said to hear what the unjust judge said. So let's hear it.
He said, "Because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her." When we pray an earnest prayer, crying out to the Lord, He cannot help but be troubled by it... not in a bad way like the unjust judge, but in a good way like a Father full of love and compassion for His children. He just can't be unmoved by our plea for help, even if He is long suffering with us. The unjust judge reacted because the widow was getting on his nerves. The Lord reacts out of love for His precious children.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
Sometimes, and I must confess, I don't know why... the Lord seems to be so silent. Prayers are going up and seemingly nothing is coming back down. But the Lord is teaching me that even in the silence, I can keep on trusting Him. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you."
Our heart's cry is heard through all the noise, even our tears speak volumes when the words are hard to find. The apostle Paul said the Holy Spirit helps our weaknesses because we don't know how to pray as we ought... so, He makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Rom. 8:26)
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16b
When the prophet Daniel prayed, he did not see results for 21 days. But when the angel arrived with the answer, he told Daniel that from the first day he prayed his words were heard. The prince of darkness had delayed the answer from getting to Daniel, but Michael, one of God's arch-angels (the warrior angel) was dispatched to help him get a break through. But I wonder if Daniel had given up praying, if it might have taken a lot longer than 21 days for the angel to get a breakthrough.
Let me encourage you today... God hears our prayers. I am sure during that 21 day period, Daniel's heart wanted to fail him because he did not understand... but he kept praying. The Lord told Joshua, "Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid nor dismayed. for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Josh. 1:9)
In the parable of the persistent widow Jesus said, "He will avenge us speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" Some teach that you should never pray for anything more than once. And I want to assure you that God did hear you the first time. Continuing steadfast in prayer does not a doubter make. As long as we're praying, we have not lost hope - and hope maketh not ashamed (Rom. 5:5).
I know the Lord called me to ministry but I struggled greatly in the process of it. I became so frustrated and despondent because it appeared my prayers were not being heard or that my Lord had put me on ignore. So confusing and heart breaking, I cannot begin to describe; because what I longed for seemed so close but also a million miles away. But He assured me that He knows and had the answer to my prayers.
God is not a man that He should lie and neither the Son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numb. 23:19) When Christ returns how many will He find on the earth, who is standing in faith and will not compromise because they didn't endure the process.
I had to pray that He would increase my faith and help my unbelief. He strengthened me and gave me renewed courage and hope to stand and to speak words of faith knowing that in due season I shall reap if I faint not.
I used to be a person that had no stick-and-stay, but God is teaching me endurance. All we have to do is outlast the devil. Take hold to the horns of the altar and don't let go. When the Lord turned around Job's captivity, He blessed him with twice as much as he had before, and made the end of his life better than the beginning.
Don't give up till the cows come home.