At times, life can REALLY HURT! The experiences of life can cause us to feel pain that is so severe and bring about disappointments that are such a blow to our motivation that we become obliterated of the last bit of faith and hope that we were trying to hold on to. These experiences can strip us of that last piece of optimism that we've always been afraid to lose.

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The fear of wondering what happens after all of our faith and hope is gone and after optimism is no longer our ally, causes many of us to feel like defeat is what the next phase of our journey is going to consist of. And once we feel like we are being given over to defeat, we tend to give up and accept whatever defeat (the cousin of discouragement) is telling us about the situation that we are facing. However, we must recognize something that is of EXTREME IMPORTANCE. DEFEAT DOES NOT OWN US. The only way that defeat can have a place in our lives is if we welcome defeat to have a seat at our table.

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Far too often, when faced with things that seem like they cannot be changed, turned, repositioned, or revoked so that they can work in our favor, we tend to ACCEPT defeat and consider ourselves to be at a loss. We tend to stop fighting and give in to whatever is trying to overtake us. We tend to give up on what we want and what we have prayed and longed for. We call it being 'REALISTIC' about what we are facing. And there is nothing wrong with being realistic. However, we can be realistic and accept defeat, or we can be realistic and accept that GOD CAN DO what we can't do. We can be realistic without giving up on ourselves, our dreams, or what God has promised us. Most importantly, we can be realistic without giving up on God! Let's Explore:

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The Parable of the Persistent Widow

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In Luke 18, we find the story of the persistent widow which is a parable that Jesus shared with his disciples to get them to understand the importance of relentless prayer that is not hindered by our adversities. This parable encourages us to not lose heart or become discouraged when it seems that God is not responding like we want Him to.

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In Luke 18:1-8  (NKJV) this parable reads as follows:

            Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: 'There was in a                          certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to                    him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within                        himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest                        by her continual coming she weary me.’ 'Then the Lord said, 'Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God                        not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He                      will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?'

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When faced with closed doors, rejection, disappointment, denials, and injustice, will we have persistent faith and exercise relentless prayer much like the persistent widow sought justice, or will we lose heart and let defeat become our guide?

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Although the widow in this parable faced persistent rejection from the earthly authority who had the earthly power and control to change her circumstance and grant her justice, she became as persistent as the rejections that she continued to face. She could have given up and allowed her adversary to have victory over her. She could have faced reality and accepted whatever the judge said, but regardless of her reality, she did not give up. She decided to 'wear the judge out' until she got what she wanted.

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How many of our prayer lives are this relentless? How many of us can keep praying even when weary, downtrodden, discouraged, and downright at our wits ends?

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There are times in which once we pray for something, we must let it go and simply trust God to do it. There are times in which God will lead us to hand our troubles over to Him and instead of focusing on those troubles He will turn our focus toward Him instead. There are times when God will lead us to stop praying about what we are asking for and instead consider it done. However, there are also times in which God will have us in a place much like the persistent widow in which He wants our relentless prayer. He wants our relentless faith. He wants our relentless trust. He wants our relentless push.

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We might all find ourselves with at least one thing in our lives that God won't immediately move from in front of us because He wants us to learn to "HOLD ON AND NOT LET GO!". There are certain things that God won't remove from us or give to us because He is trying to instill in us what it means to not lose heart. God will sometimes place us in unfair situations to see whose authority we will find refuge in. God will test us to see who we will trust to be our guardian, our shield, and our vindicator.

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In the parable of the persistent widow not only does it teach us the importance of praying without losing heart, but it also teaches us that no matter the power of 'man', GOD HAS THE FINAL SAY SO! Regardless of judge, lawyer, officer, doctor, teacher, principal, or CEO, God is the one who has infinite control over all things. God is the only being in which omnipotence and omnipresence reside. No one can match or overrule God's authority. Yet we so often forget this when faced with denials or waiting periods. We tend to place our hope in what those with earthly authority are saying instead of trusting what it is that God has told us. The judge in this parable did not fear God however, his not fearing God had no precedence over the power of God. Just because someone does not believe in God or reverence Him does not change God's power, authority, and control over them. Someone not believing in God or not fearing Him does not decrease His might. God remains who He is regardless of who believes in Him or not. God remains who He is regardless of who trusts in Him or who does not. God remains who He is regardless of who chooses to follow Him or not. Our feelings and emotions don't change the power of God although they can change our ability to receive the very thing that we are in need of.

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We see how God came through for Abraham, Joseph, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, and many others when they chose to place their full faith and trust in Him. These individuals sought God's face and depended on His power to deliver, rescue, and guide them. On the contrary, we see how individuals like King Saul and Ahaz, came to their own demise because their feelings which were rooted in pride, ego, and their trust in man caused them to act wickedly and work in opposition of God. Yet as it concerns all of these individuals, GOD REMAINED GOD. Most importantly, regardless of their full commitment or lack thereof, God kept His promises to all of these individuals. He did not fail them even when those who went astray such as King Saul and Ahaz had to be punished or receive judgment for their wrongdoing. God is a persistent and consistent God, and we must be a persistent and consistent follower of Him who controls all things.

 

God's Relentless Compassion

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"The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy." – 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 (ESV)

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God is a persistent God. God does not half do anything nor does He leave anything undone. While God does not beg anyone for anything and while God does not deprive us of our ability to choose, because of His compassion and faithfulness to us, we will at times find that He will persistently give us the opportunity to heed His words, follow His instructions, and turn from our disobedience, our wickedness, and our behaviors, acts, and deeds that are contrary to His instructions and will for us.

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God persistently used the prophets to warn Judah about the consequences of their failure to obey God and turn back to Him, but they did not relent from their sin and their unfaithfulness toward God. God was ever so patient with them but no matter how many chances God gave them, they still chose to satisfy their flesh. They chose to continuously go astray. They chose to continuously worship false gods. It was for this reason that they found themselves being carried into exile in Babylon by the king of the Chaldeans. God persistently warned them about their persistent sin as a means of trying to save them from the judgment that He would have to inflict upon them for their wickedness, but they had no desire to change.

 

They rejected the warnings that God sent them by both mocking and despising those who He delivered these messages through. They were prideful and unremorseful about their sins. They continuously rejected God's messages and His messengers and when God had enough of their rebellion against Him, they were met with His wrath. They had no more chances to avoid judgment. However, God even in spite of their unfaithfulness and wickedness toward Him, promised to bring them out of captivity at His set time. They could not avoid the judgment that God patiently tried to keep them from having to experience, but He gave them the promise of restoration once His judgment upon them was complete.

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The Persistence of Paul

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We know that Saul was persistent in persecuting the saints. We have quite often reflected on the conversion of Saul also known as the Apostle Paul. We have often discussed how eager Saul was in persecuting anyone who spoke of Jesus as the Christ. Saul was persistent in his pursuit of anyone who proclaimed the name of the Lord. However, when Jesus made himself known to Saul on that road to Damascus, Saul's persistence heightened but not in persecuting the saints but he was now increasingly persistent in proclaiming Jesus as the Christ and spreading the Gospel of Christ. The Apostle Paul was relentless in spreading the Gospel regardless of what he had to endure in order to do so. Paul constantly found himself amidst persecution for his teachings and spreading of the Gospel. We know that it could not have been easy for him, yet Paul found his strength in the very one that sent him to proclaim his name.

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In Acts 23, when Paul found himself on trial, facing the judgment of man, there were those who were eagerly pursuing him, who wanted him to be destroyed and just as well, there were those who supported his pursuits. People were so divided about the teachings of Paul that a huge dispute broke out. The dispute had escalated to such a point that the commander feared for Paul's life so much so that he had Paul taken away by troops and placed in the barracks.

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We then read something of extreme significance in verse 11 of this same chapter. Acts 23:11 reads, "The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome" (NIV). Although God knew the persecution that Paul was facing, God was not relenting from what He called Paul to do nor was He going to allow Paul to back down. God, being fully aware of what lied ahead of Paul, was still sending him forward. Paul was not going to stop proclaiming the Gospel. Paul would find himself being sent from place to place, being placed on trial, but God never left his side. God was very much aware of the chaos that he was sending Paul into. However, Jesus was very familiar with this type of chaos as he too found himself standing before the Sanhedrin, and many others just as Paul would have to do.

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Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin, chief priests, teachers of the law, elders, governors, and other officials not taking back his professing that he was the Son of God. He was not going to buckle under pressure and change who he knew himself to be, neither was he going to defend who he was because he had already spoken who he was and what he was to all who needed to hear it.

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Jesus upon being arrested and standing before the Sanhedrin, had full confidence in whose battle it was. There was no need for Jesus to defend himself because God had it all in control. Jesus even when under what we might see as unsurmountable pressure was not defeated by what he had to face. Jesus standing in the midst of what appeared an unsurmountable situation in which 'man' thought that they had all the control, came out victorious. Jesus did not allow what looked like defeat to have a seat at his table. Only through God can we overcome situations that are not humanly possible. Much like the unjust judge, the more they bothered Jesus, the more they frustrated themselves. The more the unjust judge rejected the widow, the wearier he became of her because she would not relent. Jesus would not relent. Paul would not relent. WE MUST NOT RELENT!

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God Hears Our Persistent Prayers

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In Luke 18:7-8 in the parable of the persistent widow, Jesus promises that His Father will hear our cry. Jesus promised that when we are persistent in our prayers and faint not even when it seems like God is not answering us, God will not hesitate to avenge us. God will not hesitate to vindicate us. When we place our trust in God and don't allow our circumstances to hinder our ability to seek and depend on Him, He won't forget about us. He won’t ignore our cry.

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We might have to endure for a 'set time' and we might have to endure our night, but God will give us victory. God will give us restoration. God will give us joy. But we must FAINT NOT! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 reminds us, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (NIV). Regardless of what we face, we don't have to lose heart because God will work it out. However, that 'waiting period' more often than not causes us to grow weary like the unjust judge and give in to what is coming at us instead of being like the persistent widow and exercising our right to aggravate what is agitating us. The best way to aggravate what is agitating us is by implementing our spiritual cardio routine as discussed in "Those That Wait: RENEW". As difficult as it is, we must learn to use our spiritual muscles which include:

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• Praying

• Fasting

• Praising

• Worship

• Reading the Word

• Relationship with God

• Believing

• Trust

• Faith

• Waiting

 

Some of these muscles will have to be flexed more than others depending on what we are facing but regardless of which ones we choose to flex, our strength to flex these muscles lie in the hands of God.

 

God is the driving force behind our ability to endure whatever it is that He allows us to face. It is at times extremely difficult to remain faithful and keep praying when God is not giving us as much as a nudge to let us know that He is listening. Although we know that God hears us, we at times still want assurance that He is at least taking into consideration that we need His help. At times we are so distressed that all we want is for God to give us confirmation that He will work things out even if He doesn't do it right then. However, in true God fashion, when He is trying to get us to a place of relentless trust, there will come a time in which you might not get that Moses or Gideon sign that your heart yearns for, but you will get that Paul instruction that simply tells you to "Take Courage" and do what God told you to do.

 

Just as the writer of Psalm 46 rejoiced in God's instruction telling him to "Be Still", Paul understood the power in God telling him to "Take Courage!" God is not always going to give us a response that is going to pacify us more than He is going to provide us with one that is meant to grow us. We will often find that the more faith that God has in us, the shorter His responses to us become as we endure the trials of life.

 

We will also find that at many times God's assurance to us is given by way of instruction. Sometimes God's assurance will be given to us by way of telling us the outcome of what He is sending us to do and sometimes He will give us assurance by simply reminding us that He is with us. At times He will give us assurance by reminding us who it is He see us as. His assurance to us comes in different forms but one thing that we must realize and accept is that God is not going to always give us a step-by-step play of what we are walking into. God is not going to give us every single detail of what He is calling us to do. He shares details and information with us as He sees fit. He gives us assurance as He sees fit. However, when we truly learn to trust God, our assurance doesn't simply rest in God giving us words of comfort but our assurance rests in the fact that God sent us to do something, to go somewhere, or to confront something because we have at that point come to understand that if God sent us then we know without doubt that He has already readied our path, He has already made a way, and He has already worked it out.

 

The more we learn to trust God; we recognize Him as a God who can't fail which means that we are His children that can fail not and it is with this truth that we can more boldly go forth in confidence in whatever He calls us to do.

 

If we reflect on Judges 6 (NKJV), when God first makes himself known to Gideon, we find God reassuring Gideon by telling him:

 

“Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” (Judges 6:14)

 

"Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man." (Judges 6:16)

 

"Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die." (Judges 6:23)

 

God then goes on to give Gideon various instructions concerning his army and Gideon follows all of God's instructions. We then find that when God knew that Gideon was ready, He then gave Gideon instructions saying:

 

"Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp." (Judges 7:9-11, NKJV)

 

A few verses later we read:

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"And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.” (Judges 7:15, NKJV)

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God knew that Gideon was reaching the level of assurance that He needed him to have to do what He had called him to do. Therefore, when He told Gideon to "ARISE" and go down against the camp, God was very well aware of what was in Gideon's heart and in his thoughts. In all the other words of assurance that God gave Gideon, if we were to read the full chapter (Judges 6), they were all responses that God gave Gideon after Gideon had inquired of God an inquiry pertaining to a why or how or had reacted in response to a fear that he had within him.

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However, in Judges 7:9-11, God's assurance to Gideon was not the direct response of an inquiry of Gideon's, but it was God choosing to further ready Gideon for battle because his time to lead this army toward victory had come. It was time for Gideon to step fully into what he had been called to do. And unlike the Gideon that we encounter in Judges 6, at this point we don't see Gideon going back and forth with God still asking for signs or trying to figure out 'how' he was going to do what God had called him to do. Gideon was eager to do what God was requiring of him. Gideon went as God instructed him and heard the conversation God would have him to hear and he did not go back to God seeking more assurance.

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Gideon had finally learned to trust God at His word, and we see this by his response of worshipping God. Gideon worshipped God upon hearing the conversation of the men from the enemy army because he knew that God's word and promise to him were both real and true. Gideon knew for sure that God was not going to fail him. Gideon was thanking God in advance for winning the very battle that God had been telling him from the very beginning that he would win. Gideon could now speak the same purpose into his army that God had spoken into him. Unlike all the other times before, Gideon now spoke with assurance versus inquiring out of doubt and fear. The more persistent we are in our willingness to go forth in what God has called us to do and the more persistent we are in increasing our trust in God, then God will meet us right where we are.

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God's Persistent Protection for His Persistent Followers

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If we reflect back on the Apostle Paul, we know that his troubles did not start in Acts 23, but Paul had been facing persecution from the very moment that he chose to follow God and proclaim the Gospel wherever God sent him. If we read the book of Acts, we will find that there was a time in which God indeed led Paul away from his current place and had him to travel out of the path of danger as we read of in Acts 22 in which Paul shares the story of his conversion.

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Paul shares that after he was converted and had been baptized and returned to Jerusalem, as he was praying in the temple, The Lord came to him and said, "Quick!’ Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me" (v. 18, NIV). Then as we continue reading the narrative verse 19 reads as follows, "Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you". The Lord then instructs Paul saying, "Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles" (v. 21, NIV).

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Jesus understood what it was to not be accepted in his own hometown. Jesus also understood what it was to have to move from place to place due to the threat that was on his life. After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and news of what he had done began to spread we read the following in John 11:53-54:

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             So from that day on they plotted to take his life. Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people               of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with                   his disciples (NIV).

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Jesus understood all the persecution that Paul endured. And even amidst all that he had to face, Paul's persistence to do what God called him to do did not waver. Whether bound by 'man' or by chains, Paul did not stop declaring the name of Christ.

 

“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” -Acts 18:9-10 (NIV)

 

The parable of the persistent widow does not only remind us that God hears our cry, but it is also a reminder to us of God's persistent covering and protection over us. God will not fail to avenge us neither will He fail to shield us. In Acts 18, Paul arrives in Corinth, and when his teaching, testifying, and preaching continues to cause opposition for him, God gives him assurance. God tells Paul not to stop but to 'keep on keeping on' in the work that He had called him to do. God assured Paul that He was with him and that no one would attack or harm him because He had many people in the city.

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God not only had Paul's back, but he had the right people in the right places whom He had aligned to be of support to Paul as well. God does not just watch and orchestrate from above us, but He also sends people into our lives to be an asset to us. Not only does God fight for us but He will position earthly beings to stand up for us as well. God will place people in positions just so they can be of benefit to us.

 

There are people who God will place in certain roles and positions simply because His plan is to place them on your path and open the very door that someone else might have closed in your face. God does not just orchestrate from above, but He manifests whatever He orchestrates from above right here on the earth. GOD'S WORDS NEVER FAIL! HE WILL ALWAYS DELIVER! BUT WE MUSTN'T LOSE HEART!

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No matter how hard it gets or how impossible the circumstances appear, even if we are the only one standing on our side, know that God stands with us. Even if and when we might have things taken away from us, are denied things, or are rejected, God's Children KNOW NO DEFEAT!

 

Even if everyone around you considers you to be at a loss due to the outcome surrounding your circumstance, DON'T YOU DARE GIVE DEFEAT A SEAT AT YOUR TABLE because you are in a place of STANDING ROOM ONLY AND ONLY FAITH IS ALLOWED!