En-COURAGE-ment

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (Lk 18:1)

It is so obvious to me the ways in which the Kingdom of God is "not yet" fully realized. I feel it in my frustration, sorrow, pain, and anger. I see it in the images of poverty, injustice, illness, and loneliness all around me. I hear it in the music on my iPod. I taste it in the food I eat knowing there are so many going hungry while I eat for the fifth time in a day.

God's rule is not fully established on earth. It will be someday though! Jesus talked about it a lot and His apostles and the early Christians waited for it every single day of their lives. Jesus knew it would be a long wait and He gave His disciples a story to give them courage to actively wait.

Luke 18:1-8 records the Parable of the Persistent Widow ~ a story that when I recently read it frustrated me rather than encouraged me. This parable that is supposed to be encouraging has not been a source of courage for me at all...until last night in the company of friends, in the honest conversations of trusted sisters in Christ.

We had been talking about words in the Bible that when we read them today bring up modern-day images/concepts that might not have been what the original speakers/hearers would have pictured. One person suggested that the word "widow" might have a different image for us in the United States today. I realized that I picture a very strong, independently capable woman of means, living in a house in Sun City on her own. We discussed the societal status of a widow in Jesus' day and land ~ a very different situation from our current context. A friend discussed a cultural difference in the idea of asking and waiting for a response. She mentioned that women from the area where Jesus walked and lived have this idea that when they ask for something and do not immediately receive it that they have to continually ask and remind with persistence because otherwise their request will be dropped, ignored, unfulfilled. This is not how requests get handled in the United States for the most part. If I want something I ask for it and then I wait for the system to respond. I only feel the need to fill out the application once. I do not expect that asking again will somehow get my request answered. In fact, most times I feel that persistence will actually cause my request to be dropped, ignored, unfulfilled because I will have disrespected the person I am asking. My cultural experience tells me to ask fully and respectfully once and patiently wait for a response. While I wait I hope, I expect, I plan, I act ~ but I do not keep asking. I trust that the system will work for me and my need will be met in the proper time and way.

This understanding of how I ask and wait helps me to understand Jesus' parable better and it gives me hope. Many times I've felt unfaithful because I do not pray every day, all day for my most pressing needs. I read this story and I think I must be failing somehow because I am not persistent enough. Perhaps, however the courage to be gained from the story is not how often I ask, but how I trust God's promises of provision.

I feel that it is okay for me to make my requests known to God as often as I feel necessary and it is okay for me to ask once and wait hopefully, expectantly, actively for God to respond in His time. The point of the story is that God hears and will respond.

Faithfulness looks differently on different people in different cultures and times. What does faithfulness look like for me? What does it look like for you? Do you trust that God hears your prayers? Do you trust that you can ask Him as many times as you feel necessary to meet your needs and resolve the injustice around you? Do you trust that you can ask Him once and wait hopefully and patiently?

God is big enough to handle the difference between you and me. Together we find the courage to face the reality of the not-yet Kingdom and together we engage the reality of the kingdom that is here and now. Thank you for the together. "Together" is one way that I am very aware that the Kingdom of God is present here and now. For that I praise God!