Have Courage to Pray Always

October 16, 2022
Luke 18:1-8; Jeremiah 31:31-34
Having Courage to Pray Always
Kerra Becker English
Jesus told them a story about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.
Stories are the perfect way to go here.
We don’t need stories to remind us how difficult life can be.
We know that from living.
We need stories to remind us that grace abounds,
That goodness can win in the end,
That persistence pays off,
That the arc of time is bending ever so slowly toward justice.
Jesus also clearly indicated that we need prayer.
This story is about praying through the hardest times.
It’s about not giving up.
It’s about grit, and courage, and resilience.
Words that get a lot of attention these days.
I’m a fan of Brene Brown’s book “Daring Greatly.” The title for that book comes from a Theodore Roosevelt quote apropos to today’s reading. Roosevelt said:
“Its not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man wo is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly… who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”
Our protagonist in this story is no gladiator in the center arena,
Though she does keep standing up to fight again after each battle.
Rather, she is a widow. Presumed poor. Presumed powerless.
She is up against a judge who doesn’t care one bit about her fate.
Jesus doesn’t tell us she went to see the wise judge, or the kind judge,
She is up against the unjust judge.
An oxymoron - one would hope.
A Judge is supposed to weigh all matters according to what’s right or fair,
But this Judge has his thumb on the scale.
I’ve read the story.
The judge doesn’t listen to her because it’s the right thing to do.
He listens to her because she won’t leave him alone.
Jesus makes his point.
The list of things for us to pray about never ends.
And if we get real serious about prayer, it only gets harder as we get closer to the world Christ asks us to imagine.
What I’d like for us to do is make this story about prayer, and pray, right here, right now.
Today, we are going to pray this story.
We are going to imagine ourselves persistent in prayer.
We are going to imagine ourselves with the courage to face off with power.
Pray always, Jesus says, and do not lose heart.
As I pray – I’m going to leave some space for silence and for the opportunity to pray your prayers out loud.
We are going to pray with the story – so each prayer that we are going to pray has a focus.
Then when I say, Jesus says…
You will respond with, “Pray always and do not lose heart.”  
 
The world can be hard and unfair.      
Jesus says:
            Pray always and do not lose heart.
 
Those with earthly power may neither fear God, nor have respect for humanity.    
Jesus says:
            Pray always and do not lose heart.

Our accusers judge us wrongly.
 Jesus says:
            Pray always and do not lose heart.
 
Achieving justice can take a really long time.
 Jesus says:
            Pray always and do not lose heart.

When you are right, speak up.
Jesus says:
            Pray always and do not lose heart
 
If they don’t or can’t hear you, speak your truth again.
Jesus says:
            Pray always and do not lose heart.

God will hear you both day and night.  
Jesus says:
            Pray always and do not lose heart.

The path of persistence is a worthy path.
Jesus says:      
Pray always and do not lose heart.

Pray for faith to be found on earth.
Jesus says:
            Pray always and do not lose heart.