Persistent Faith

Tony Hauck
Church on the Rock, Melbourne
July 19, 2010


I had called a government agency to get information I really needed before taking a fairly long drive to said agency without knowing if I could accomplish my task. I had been on hold for about 20 minutes without actually talking to a human, and would have hung up much earlier if it hadn’t involved something important to someone I was trying to help. But I had things to do and couldn’t sit on hold all day. I had decided to hang up, and was just about to put the phone down when a person answered on the other end. And not just any person, but a nice and helpful person who got me the information I needed. I was off the phone two minutes later, mission accomplished. I was really struck that I had almost hung up and would have had to start over or find another approach. Twenty minutes wasted, and I’d never know I only had to hold on another few seconds. Now it was just time invested in an important task. I thought of a parable Jesus told.

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: "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 emphasis mine)

This parable is clearly a call to persistent prayer, implying some time before the answer, but notice how it ends with a faith question. Will we still be waiting “on the line” in faith for the answer when it comes? I wonder how many times I’ve “hung up” just when heaven was about to answer. And consider that she was asking for justice from an unjust judge. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Gen 18:25)

MyHOP is all about persistently asking the Righteous Judge to get justice for our region. Is that the cry of your heart?