Never Give Up

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Luke 18:1

A couple of weeks ago I received a call from my health-care provider. I had turned in a request for a prescription refill to my pharmacist. There were no refills remaining so he needed to get approval from my doctor. This was early June. I had missed an appointment the week of Easter because the busyness of Holy Week simply did not allow time for the appointment. Then, his office called to cancel our next appointment due to illness.

The provider left a message on my answering machine saying that since it had been over six months since my last appointment, I would have to make a new appointment to receive my medication. These were my anti-depressants which I have been on for a decade or so. By the time the pharmacist called the doctor and his assistant called me, I had run out.

I immediately rang the health provider’s number, only to receive their answering machine promising, “If you will leave your date of birth, spelling of your last name, and best number to reach you, we will return your call within 24 hours.” They did not. It was over 48 hours later that I received another message on my answering machine.

The first message I left spelled out very strongly that I should not be held accountable for missing the “six months” because my doctor canceled the last appointment, not me. I told them I had zero citalopram left and had given them my cell number so they could reach me any time. Instead, they called my home phone. I returned the call again, left a second and much stronger message, and still waited another two or three days for a response.

Finally, upon hearing Jane’s voice, a live human assistant who I have met in the doctor’s office, she assured me that I would be able to see the doctor within a week. “Yes,” I said, “but what I am annoyed about is that I went a full week without antidepressants. That is not good patient care at all, and I am very concerned.” She agreed, was very understanding, and I had my prescription filled by the end of the day.

Jesus’ story is similar except it is a woman seeking justice from her adversary. The judge “neither feared God nor cared what people thought.” But she kept coming. He refused for some time, but finally said to himself, “I don’t fear God or what people think, but this widow keeps bothering me, I will make sure she gets justice, so she won’t eventually come back and attack me.”

Jesus says we should listen to what the judge, knowing that God will “bring justice for His chosen ones who cry out to him day and night. He will see that they get justice, and quickly.” Jesus adds, though, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

Jesus is astounded that people give up so quickly bringing their needs to God. I was willing to lose face and have a doctor and assistant see me as somewhat harsh so that they would finally pay attention. The widow in Jesus’ story made the judge think she might possibly do him harm. That is the sort of persistence God is looking for.

In no way is Jesus saying that Father God is like the unjust judge, and that we have to wear Him down with our constant approaches. He is making a comparison of differences. If an unjust judge will finally give in, just to get someone off his back, how much more will the Righteous and Compassionate Judge of the universe hear the cries of His people?

Persistence in prayer is one of the greatest signs of faith. Never give up in the face of seemingly unanswered prayer. Turn the need over, upside down, in new light, in new ways and present it to God. Listen to His voice, perhaps He is speaking to you about the answer even now. No matter what, do not give up; there is so much more to heaven and earth than we can even imagine.

In spite of having unrelenting pain for nearly six years now, I will never give up asking my Father for healing. But that is not the only petition I make. For, having prayed for healing today, what do I do tomorrow when I still am in pain? I must turn the need over, and ask Him to glorify Himself in me. I must ask Him for wisdom how to apportion my severely limited energy. Persistence in prayer does not mean praying the same thing over and over again. It may also mean turning the request over, and in new light, adjusting our request.

Do not give up, dear one. Like my provider said, once I had the appointment with him, “It’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.” I think God is more attentive, yet, the truism may aid us; keep asking.