Pestering or Persistent?

 

“ . . . yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming.”

Luke 18:5 (NIV)

 

My mother-in-law Jeanell told me that she really needed a job after she graduated from high school. She grew up in the depression and knew that contributing to the family income was important.

 

The problem was that everyone needed a job but very few employers were hiring. She had an additional problem: no car. So she knew that wherever she worked needed to be within walking distance of her parents’ home.

 

Since there was a company named Master Electric just two blocks away that made electric motors, Jeanell went to the foreman and asked for work. His response was the same thing many people were hearing: not hiring.

 

When she got back home, Jeanell told her father what the foreman had said. He responded to her news by telling her to go back and apply – again and again and again. “He will see how much you want to work and he will hire you,” her father encouraged her.

 

So day after day she went back to the same man and asked him for employment.  Finally after repeated visits, the foreman in charge exclaimed “Give the girl a job so she will stop pestering me!” and she was hired.

 

I couldn’t help but compare her story to the parable about the persistent widow and the judge in Luke 18. While I don’t know anything about Jeanell’s boss, I do know that the judge that the widow kept speaking to was unfair in his rulings.

 

However, that didn’t deter the widow because she was seeking one thing: justice. His answer finally came in her favor but it wasn’t because he had compassion for her and her request. Not at all. He simply wanted her to quit bothering him.

 

In verses 6-8 of Luke 18, Jesus uses this parable to explain to us, His children, a beautiful truth: if an unjust judge who neither fears God nor cares about a widow gives her justice just so that she “won’t eventually wear me out with her coming,” how much more will God who loves us answer our prayers when we keep coming before Him!

 

God the Father never grows weary of listening to us, His children, as we approach Him again and again in prayer. Be persistent in prayer. Our compassionate Judge listens and answers because He loves us and He is always faithful.

 

Father, sometimes I just give up and don’t keep coming before you with my prayer requests. Forgive me for not trusting you to hear and answer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Have you ever prayed about a situation once and then given up?

 

• What was your reason for not continuing to pray?

 

 Apply

• In your journal write down your prayers and beside each one, the dates of every time you have petitioned the Lord.

 

• If you find that you prayed once or twice and then quit, consider memorizing today’s power verses as encouragement to continually approach the Lord with your requests.

 

Power

• Luke 18:5 (NIV) “ . . . yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming.”

 

• I John 5:14-15 (NIV) “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.”

 

• Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV) “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

 

 

Will Anyone Come?

 

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes

and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me,

I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Matthew 25:35-36 (NIV)

 

The thought had gone through my mind several times: “Instead of leaving cookies for my neighbor and hurrying away, I need to take the time to sit and visit with her.” She is absolutely precious and I thoroughly enjoy chatting with her.

But I had been busy with everyday life and just hadn’t stopped by for several weeks. So this time when I took the cookies and she asked if I had time to visit, I stayed.

            We talked and laughed and talked some more.  Then the subject turned to not being able to sleep at night. “My mind doesn’t stop when I lay down,” I told her. “I am thinking about the next day and everything on my to-do list.” She nodded.

“I know exactly what you mean. I am laying there and I start wondering about things, like do I need to get groceries, what will the weather be tomorrow, will anyone come . . .” and her voice trailed off as she looked out the window.

 Those last three words – “will anyone come” – pierced my heart and immediately convicted me of my failure as a Christian.

 In Matthew 25:35-36, Jesus is speaking with His followers and saying that because they met His needs for nourishment and clothing, showed Him hospitality, looked after Him when He was ill and visited Him in prison, they were blessed by God.

But His followers were confused. They did not remember helping Jesus when He needed clothing or was sick or in prison.  They could not help asking “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” (Verses 37-38)

Jesus replied in verse 40 that “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Nowhere in those verses does it read “I was hungry and you gave me cookies and left because you had a meeting.” Or “I was in prison and you waved and said “hi” but you just couldn’t stay because you were busy.”

 Their love for the Lord was their reason for taking care of those in need. They wanted to be Jesus to everyone around them. So what about you and me? I have no doubt that every one of us has at least one neighbor like mine. One who is elderly or physically unable to get out of their home. A man or woman who wonders if anyone even knows they exist.

 Look around your neighborhood and ask yourself if there might be someone sitting in a home wondering “will anyone come.” Let that person who knocks on the door with cookies and time for a visit be the face and words of Jesus – in you.

 

Father, forgive me for not looking at my neighbors through your eyes. May I find less time to be busy and more time to be you to each of them. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

 

Reflect

• Do you know the names of your neighbors? How many of them would love to have a visit from you?

 

Apply

• Spend a day or evening or weekend making cookies or treats and put your neighbor’s names on each package along with a note. Then call and ask if you could bring over the gift and visit. Be prepared for smiles and perhaps some tears.

 

Power

• Matthew 25:35-36 (NIV) “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

 

• Galatians 6:10 (NIV) “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

 

• Psalms 35:10 (NIV) “My whole being will exclaim, Who is like you, O Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

 

Watch out for the Snake

 

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

I Peter 5:8 (NIV)

 

Snakes. It’s not that I don’t like snakes. I hate them – any size, color, make or model. And please don’t tell me how friendly they are to the environment because they catch mice. It doesn’t matter to me. I hate snakes.

             

Last summer I was hiking and almost stepped on a snake. Yes I was able to jump out of the way at the last minute. No it was not poisonous. At least, I don’t think it was but when you are vaulting backward through the air and screaming simultaneously, it’s kind of hard to be sure.

 

From that moment on I found myself jumping every time I saw a long brown stick in the grass or felt a weed brush my leg. Just knowing that another snake could be close by made me more aware of my surroundings and much more cautious with every step. How I wish the temptation to sin could have that same effect on me. Just one wrong thought and I would instantly be on guard for the next attack from Satan.

 

We have a very important reminder in I Peter to be alert when sin comes our way – and it will come. Satan has made it his top priority to sneak around the earth, looking for someone to trap and destroy. Peter warns us to “be self-controlled and alert” but how are we going to do that?

 

How are we going to be able to keep from “stepping on the snake” and risking a fatal blow? First, stay in the Word. Jesus gives us power in His name to stand against evil but we won’t know what to do if we don’t read His instructions from the Bible

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Secondly, we have to continually be on our guard against anything that could lead us to sin.  We should not wait until a “snake” crosses our path before we are careful about what we allow in our homes and minds and hearts.

 

Instead, we need to be constantly on the defense, making sure we never allow ourselves to be in a situation where the “snake” can sneak in and destroy. And remember: God has also given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us by guiding our actions when we are in danger of being attacked.

 

I encourage you to never let your guard down against the evil one. Stay in God’s Word. Soak it into your heart and mind. Talk to the Lord daily in prayer and ask Him to guide you. Heed Peter’s warning. There are snakes hiding everywhere.

 

Father, thank you for giving us your Word so we can be on guard against Satan’s attacks. It is because of you that we are able to stand strong. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Have you ever been blindsided by a sin?

 

• Were you deep in God’s Word at the time?

 

Apply

• Journal temptations/sins that you struggle with in your life.

 

• Beside each one, journal Scripture that encourages you to stand strong.  Post them

            around your home to remind you of God’s power against the enemy.

 

Power

• I Peter 5:8 (NIV) “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

 

• Ephesians 6:11 (NIV) “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

 

• II Thessalonians 3:3 (NIV) “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”

 

 

When God Has a Detour

 

 

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.”

Psalm 138:8 (NIV)

 

It took me a few minutes to calm my shaking fingers and get my courage up to open the email from a children’s editor with a very well-known publishing company. I knew she was responding to my proposal on my latest children’s book, a rhyming story about creation.

 I had retired from a job I loved because I felt the Lord nudging me to speak and write full time. This book being published would be a huge confirmation of that nudging. I opened the email to find that yes, the editor loved the book. And yes, it had made it through the submissions and editorial meetings! Now it was on to the sales team.

             “Thank you, Lord! Thank you so much!” I shouted the praise in my office. This was definitely a door opening for my passion for writing. I dared to dream big: traveling, television interviews, promoting this book plus my other writings, praising the Lord for what He was doing through each word.

 I hate to fly but I imagined myself jetting to New York or L.A. to do interviews about “small town girl writes for a big God.” I was so sure of the outcome that I even shared my news with a couple of my closest friends.

 A week went by followed by another and another. No emails with a contract attached. And yet I was not really discouraged because I knew this journey was being directed by the Lord. The book would be published, I was sure. And then the email came from the editor.

She loved the book and how the story was presented, she said. But the sales team had decided not to publish it. Thanks but no thanks. I read and re-read the email. Maybe I missed something when I read it so hurriedly. But no. It was a polite but firm no thank you. Wait a minute, God! I’ve known for years that this is the path you have wanted for me – writing and speaking. I am sure of it – 100% sure. And yet the answer is no?

 Psalm 138:8 was written by David, a man after God’s own heart. I have no idea what was going on in his life as he wrote those words, but I love his confidence in knowing that (1) God had a purpose for him; (2) God would fulfill that purpose; and (3) God’s love for David was eternal.

 Have you been there? You knew that you were doing exactly what the Lord had directed you to do. No doubts. No second guessing. And then the path is blocked, the gate is locked, the door is slammed shut. And you start to wonder if you heard Him correctly when you prayed. What in the world is going on?

I have no WOW answers. Only a belief and trust in a Father whose timing is not mine, but who fully intends to fulfill His purpose for me when – and only when – He is ready. You prayed about the new job that suddenly falls through, the relationship that falls apart, and the bottom falls out of your world. Answers do not come as you were confident they would. As you felt the Lord was directing. And you are wondering why.

            I understand that questioning. And yet, just because that part of our plans didn’t work out does not mean that God is not in control or that we are wrong about His plans for us. Perhaps there are other people the Lord is working on with your plan. There may be a lesson we need to learn about trusting Him through the detours in our lives.

 There will temporary or permanent detours in our journey with the Lord. But His purpose stands firm. He will fulfill His work in our lives – even when we don’t understand. Trust the One whose love for us endures forever – even in detours.

             Father, I’m not sure why your direction for my life has taken a turn totally opposite from how I felt you were directing. But I trust you to complete your plan in my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Have you ever felt the Lord directing you specifically and yet, when you followed His direction, things turned out completely different than you thought?

 

Apply

• Journal the plans in your life that you were sure came from the Lord but did not work out as you had thought. Next journal how they actually turned out.
• Write down the blessings and lessons you learned in the detours. Thank the Lord for His faithfulness.

 

Power

• Psalm 138:8 (NIV) “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.”

 

• Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

 

• Philippians 1:6 (NIV) “. . . being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

 

• Psalm 27:14 (NIV) “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”