Living in the Spirit
October 15, 2022
Scripture Reading: Luke 18:1-8
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.” For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.”’ And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’
God hears our prayers, but what constitutes a prayer? I pray rather formally daily for my family, friends facing difficulties or health problems, and even myself. If I know something particular, I might mention it, but in most instances, I just ask God to bless them. I pray before my Sunday school class and the Bible study group I facilitate. I think these prayers are important even though I have no idea what God thinks about such prayers. My sense is God expects me to pray these prayers. I do not think God keeps a record of how many people prayed for something or someone and responds accordingly. I tend to think praying grows our love and sense of our interrelationship with God and all of God’s children.
The real guts of my prayers, however, come when I grapple with God about the right thing to do or why something is happening. These are not formal prayers. These are prayers of desperation where I see something amiss in my life or the world, and I do not know how to deal with it except to share my consternation with the One who created me and the world around me. Who is better to deal with life choices than the creator of life?
Prayer:
Guide me, O my great Redeemer,
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but you are mighty;
hold me with your powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me now and evermore,
feed me now and evermore*. Amen.
First verse of Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah by William Williams See at https://hymnary.org/text/guide_me_o_thou_great_jehovah
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.