40 Days of Embracing Uncertainty - Day 24 (for Tuesday, March 24)

For a lot of years, my beloved Nancy has been trying to convince me of the merits of owning a pet.  She would bring up the subject “how about we get a cat?’ or “gee, that dog looks so cute – wouldn’t you like a dog around the house?”  Last year, in a moment I can only describe as dire weakness, she convinced me that we should get a rescue cat as a house pet.  Ever since we took on that pet, I’m the one whose been searching for rescue!

Two days ago, while she was taking a break at work, she texted me that we should get a dog.  Not just any dog, but a pet that would be able to play with the cat – so she said.  She sent me a picture of this dog – a Shih Tzu.  I admit – I was reluctant to hear it.  I was reluctant even after I saw the picture.  But my wife was persistent.  She was ever pressing forward that this dog would be a blessing to our family.  I wasn’t so sure.  I expressed as much with my initial response.

So, we are naming the dog “Maisy”.  Of course, I am a bit apprehensive about adding another animal to the house, but sometimes persistence pays off.  That’s where the story of the judge and the woman who was seeking justice comes in.  A woman who was on her own was prepared to do what it took to see that justice was done for her.  She was after the local judge to make sure she received that justice.  She was relentless.  She was persistent.  She never gave up and she never gave in.  Finally, the judge saw to it that she would receive her justice – not because it might have been the right thing to do, but because it would relieve the pressure the woman was putting on the judge.

The point of Jesus’ story about this persistent woman is that people should never give up when life gets hard.  Always persevere in prayer. 

This is timely for us today, isn’t it?  I cannot even estimate how many persons have taken a moment to pray, ever since this coronavirus has advanced across our nation.  The number has to be a large number.  I’m certain each prayer has lifted up the persons who have fallen ill because of this virus, prayed for those who are leading the efforts to find some sort of solution to contracting the virus, lifted up those who are in harm’s way as they continue providing the essential services we need day to day.  Persistent prayer – the primary focus of this modern day parable of pandemic proportions.

The verse that really captured my attention was at the end of that story:

“However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Now that is a really intriguing question at the end of a lesson in persistence!  Will the Son of Man find faith on earth?  Certainly, we can pray all we want, but do we have the faith required to know that God has heard our cry?  Do we have the faith needed to trust that God will answer our pleas and comfort our hearts and provide safety for our journey?  Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat this one.  It’s right there for us to see.

We can offer up as many prayers as we want and God will listen.  But will we have faith?

There are worse things than getting a cute dog for the home.  Not having faith in God during tough times could be one of them.