The Prayer Warrior's Mantra

My grandmother Kay was a very spiritual person.  She was a lifelong Catholic and Christian, and prayer was her specialty.  She would often pray - as the Bible says - without ceasing.  Grandma Kay prayed for us grandchildren, our families, and her own children as well.  I am certain that this is the reason certain things went well for me over the course of my life.  It makes a difference having a true prayer warrior in your corner.  I believe that one faithful person praying can do more than a military force.  The Bible says that prayer can affect change just as much as any physical action we do.

Some of you may know the parable of the persistent widow from the Gospel of Luke.  Chapter 18 tells us a story about a crooked judge who didn't care about God or what other people thought.  He was in it for himself.  There was also a widow in that same town who kept coming to the judge asking for assistance.  In fact, Luke 18:3 says that she wanted 'justice against her adversary.'

As the story finishes, we are told that because this woman was so persistent in calling on the judge, he eventually got fed up and granted her what she wanted.  Jesus then adds this curious phrase in verses 6-8, "Listen to what the unjust judge says.  And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?  Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly..."

What a strange story for Jesus to tell.  Does this mean our prayers annoy God?  Does it mean that in order to get justice in this world, we must bother the Creator in the same way someone might stroll into traffic court and petition a speeding ticket?  I don't think so; not quite.  But rather, it demonstrates how important it really is to pray without ceasing.  To continue to offer up our deepest, most heartfelt desires - even if we think no one is listening.

As I write this, the entire globe is struggling through a world-wide pandemic due to the almost unprecedented contagious affect of something called the coronavirus (COVID-19).  Even mentioning it out loud in public will draw dirty looks.  It has been (among other things), a time of great uncertainty.  Uncertainty about when life will return to normal, when Spring baseball practices might resume, and about whether or not there will be enough money left in the bank to enjoy anything anyway.

But worrying about the future provides an opportunity also.  It often forces us to slow down and act like the persistent widow.  No doubt some are praying daily now, when before it was only seldom.  People are seeking God, and they are listening for His answer.

I remember a time in my own life when things were looking grim.  I had been assigned a project at work which entailed lots of hours, a fair amount of stress, and an uncertain outcome.  In addition, the people driving the project kept changing the priority list.  I would eventually find out that what I was working on kept getting shifted around, but not until I was almost done each time.  The stress eventually became unmanageable, and I started having heart palpitations and shortness of breath.  

I remember praying at the time what I thought would be an unfruitful request from God.  I simply asked Him to either take this project away from me, or fix it so that things were more organized.  I was certain nothing would happen, because the clients and customers behind this task had sunk thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours into it.  I thought for sure nothing would change, and I would end up losing my job.

About a week later, I received an email telling me that the entire thing had been cancelled, and shelved for a later date.  The stress was gone ... just like that.  I prayed, God listened, and then He answered.  I am still stunned when I think about it, even today.

Prayer pays dividends.  But the problem is that those dividends arrive according to God's timeline, and not ours.  Now we don't like this very much.  In fact, we don't like it at all.  People like to have things immediately, preferably without suffering, and delivered neatly to our door step.  Especially when it comes to watching our adversaries receive justice.  In fact, I think we often want swift justice for them, but a long delay when it comes to us.  This is just human nature.  We want our enemy to get punished, but ourselves to be forgiven. 

So what are we to do with this parable then?  How does it apply today?  We must remember not to give up when it comes to prayer.  We must cultivate our own mantra as miniature prayer warriors.  Although the term mantra does not have Christian roots, I think the affectation still holds.  

Matthew 7:7 tells us, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

The power packed into this sentence of Scripture is incredible.  Are we really asking?  God is listening.  And if we are asking Him for things, what will those things accomplish in our lives for His good purpose?  Do we ask God if we might win the lottery, so that we can buy more empty goods and services?  Or are we asking Him to help shape our character and give us the heart of Jesus?  Trust me, those two kinds of prayers sound very different.  

It is also worthy to note the last verse of the parable in Luke 18.  Verse 8 says this, "... However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

That is a good question for us today.  In the midst of uncertainty, how many of us will continue the prayer warrior mantra?  How many of us will continue to praise God and give Him thanks when a paycheck is in jeopardy, or public hoarding causes nationwide grocery shortages.  Only time will tell.  

For now, just stay in contact with God the Father, even if you are struggling in your life.  He is still listening, and He is a good and just judge.



.