Jesus tells a story in Luke 18:1-8 that most people call “The Parable Of The Persistent Widow”:
1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4″For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ “
6And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
One of the very sermons that I ever preached — prepared and delivered to a seminary class in 1989 — came from this parable.
I’m sure it was awful.
But the story has stuck with me.
And in recent days, I’ve decided that I’m going to assume the identity of that persistent widow. I’m not going to let go of God until blessing and favor beyond measure fall upon the people and ministry of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church.
Will you join me?