Way Of Love: Spiritual Practices For DisciplesНамуна

PRAY

I love that Jesus felt this parable was perfect to teach his disciples to pray always and not lose heart. The widow is incessant in her insistence, and the judge, whom Jesus calls unjust, is just fed up.

Prayer sometimes feels like that to me. I beg God to hear me over and over and am faced with conflicting messages from well-meaning people: “Leave your prayer at the altar or at God’s feet and let God take care of it,” they say. “You don’t have enough faith if you keep asking,” others say. I say, “When I truly want or need something, I will ask several times until it is done.” I agree with the acronym PUSH: Pray Until Something Happens. It may seem silly, but it is basically what Jesus tells his disciples.

This passage says we should pray always. When I was a teenager, a mentor, Chayanne, helped me learn to pray all the time. No, I do not stop and say, “The Lord be with you.” No, I do not close my eyes and bow my head—especially when I am driving! No, I do not get on my knees. What Chayanne taught me was to pray silently or aloud constantly about everything anywhere. As I type this, I am praying for you and for the words being typed. I pray short, usually silent, quick messages—prayer texts, of sorts—throughout the day. Please help me get there on time. Thank you for my family. Please let my car make it to the nearest gas station. God listens and knows my heart, so a one-word prayer is always appropriate: No! HELP! Yeah! Thanks! Love! BRB!

No matter what you’ve heard or been told, Jesus says: Keep asking, keep praying, don’t lose heart.

• What text or prayer will you send Jesus at this very moment?
• Is there anything for which you need to pray always and not lose heart?

Dr. Sandra T. Montes, Spanish Ministry Consultant and Musician, Sugar Land, TX