A group of Christians had gathered together to pray recently in a school in New Delhi, in India when a radical Hindu group broke into the school and began to beat the pastors who were leading the prayer service. When the local authorities arrived, the attacks were permitted to continue. When arrests were finally made, it was the Christians who were taken to jail while their attackers were set free.
A Lutheran pastor in Africa decided to break off from his church's ties to a more liberal world wide Lutheran church body. When he purposed to ordain a pastor without the support of this liberal church organization he was told that there would be an attempt on his life. He performed the ordination in a private and unpublicized church service.
God will give justice, but there are certainly times when it seems like he is taking his time in administering it. And as it seems to us like we are up to our necks with injustice, that can be a real challenge.
We don't always stop to take notice. After all, in our corner of the world Christians have a lot of freedom to practice our faith. We look around us and sure, we can see evidence of sin. It's not always easy for us to express our faith and come right out and say what we believe. Our way of life is different and our priorities and lifestyle are different. But we no one is threatening to kill us or harm us. Not like they do in other places around the world.
But Corinthians says that when one member of the body of Christ suffers, all suffer together with him. Those Christians in New Delhi, those Christians in Africa, not to mention, Bangladesh and Ethiopia, and Indonesia, and elsewhere around the world, they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. As they suffer the brunt of this persecution, we suffer with them. We mourn with them. We pray for them and we cry out with them, How Long O Lord.
Psalm 13, this prayer of David sums it up pretty well:
“13:1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
As a believer in Christ, you don't have to live in some remote corner of the world to suffer at the hands of sin and evil in the world. You might suffer in some way or some means in your own neighborhood, in your own life and right here where you live. You might find yourself praying that same prayer and asking yourself that same question. Where is God? Is He still there? Is He concerned about what is happening to us down here on this planet? Or has he forgotten?
Dear friends, he has not forgotten. Jesus would have us to know that He is here with us. He is not far away, distant, or removed from our problems and our struggles, but he is right here in the middle of them. He is close beside us and he will not leave us. He sees what his people are enduring and he wouldn't have us despair. No. He does not want us to loose heart. Instead he wants us to stand up and stand tall and be confident that he hears us and that he is with us. He wants us to know that he is close beside us and here, in our text, in this parable, he urges us to pray.
Jesus tells a parable. Of an unjust judge. And judge who is unrighteous and who doesn't care what people think or what God thinks. And a widow. A poor, helpless woman who has no husband and few rights, if any at all. And this judge, who doesn't care about anyone, isn't really all that interested in hearing this widow's problems. He's too busy, too preoccupied and would really rather that she just went away.
Don't we sometimes feel like that is how God treats us, like he is preoccupied or busy or distant or unconcerned. Don't we feel like we at times have to work extra hard just to get an audience with our Lord when he should be on top of those problems that we are having.
Lord, how could you let this happen? How could you allow something like this to go on? Where were you when I needed you? Why didn't you step in to save me? Why didn't you stop this from happening? And we think we've got a pretty legitimate complaint.
But notice what this poor, helpless woman does, this woman in need of justice, this woman who has no where else to turn. Notice what she does. She doesn't quit. She doesn't allow herself to be ignored. She keeps coming. Keeps asking. Keeps urging. The squeaky wheel gets the oil and this woman made herself a nuisance in the ears of this wicked and lazy judge. The woman was tarnishing his reputation and making him look bad so he gave in. He heard the widow's case and he gave her the justice she demanded.
So is this God? Would Jesus have us understand God to be like this wicked judge? Unjust? Preoccupied? Only willing to dole out justice when we pester him to it? No! This parable is a study in contrast. God is good. He hears your prayers. He knows your needs even before you know them. He knows what you have suffered and how you have suffered. He knows how severely you have been wronged and he will give you justice.
Will not God give justice to the elect? Says Jesus. To those who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.
The Lord will provide justice. He will give you what you need. He hears your prayer. He knows your need and He will respond. He will not leave you to suffer. Instead he will answer the prayers of His faithful people. Take heart and keep praying.
In this sin-filled world Christians will suffer. With our enemy the Devil such an ever present foe, we can count on the fact that he will target God's people to test them and to see if he can have some success in drawing them away from their faith. And God permits him to do so. But when this happens God wants you to pray. That is the whole reason Jesus told this parable. Our text said that Jesus told the parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not loose heart.
Our Lord knew what we would suffer. He knew what we would endure. He knew that there would be evil and sin in the world. He knew that this sin would affect us and harm us. He knew that we would struggle against temptation and sin. He knew that we would battle with the lies of the Devil. So our Lord gave a parable to encourage us always to pray.
My friends, God wants you to pray. Always.
When you are in your car. When you are riding the bus to school. When you are about to eat a meal. When you are sitting at your desk. When you are facing some challenge. When you are about to undergo surgery. When someone has sinned against you. When you are afraid, nervous, joyful, glad, overwhelmed, grieved, excited, terrified, any time and every time. God wants you to pray. Always.
Our Sunday Morning adult Bible study has just begun a study on a book entitled Grace Upon Grace, Spirituality for Today by John Kleinig. In this book, Dr Kleinig likens prayer to being included in God's cabinet. It is like God is a ruler or king and his plan and agenda for His kingdom is laid out for us. When we pray, it's like we are participating in the work that God is doing on earth.
Dr Kleinig also talks about prayer as guard duty. We are soldiers in the army of the Lord, but we are not offensive soldiers. Jesus has already won the war. We are like sentries, manning our look out posts. Watching for the attacks of the devil on our children, our brothers or sisters, our friends, our parents. And this is an important point. Sometimes we can be self-centered in our prayers; we pray for our own needs or when we feel our own attacks. But we can pray for each other. If Satan is leaving you alone for a time, that means he is spending that time harassing someone else. Pray for that person. Whoever it may be. If you can't think of someone to pray for or someone who is suffering pray for Christians around the world. Join with them in their suffering by lifting them up in prayer before your Heavenly Father. Call in for support for them from Jesus who has defeated Satan and who has sent him running.
Jesus will help. He is far from preoccupied, He is ready and waiting. Willing and eager to help. And help he does. Because of his great love for us. He does not delay. He comes to chase away our adversary.
So don't despair. God is with you. He has not left you, indeed he is near by. Take heart. Take courage and pray to the God who has promised to hear. Who has promised to save. Who has promised to deliver you from whatever you might be suffering. In His Name.
Amen.
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