I was inspired by an article on MSNBC.com concerning a 6 hour search for a woman's lost jewelery. Leading a persistent search through a landfill trying to find the lost jewelery, custodian Frank Darby's motto was “Don’t give up five minutes before the miracle.”. WOW! How often do we give up 5 minutes before God answers our prayers?
Time and time again I read of healing that doesn't come from the first time that prayer and laying upon of hands is offered. So often it comes after much prayer, and many healing sessions. How often do we pray for someone or something, then give up on God? How often do we feel that our prayers are fruitless? How often do we give up rather than persist in prayer?
There's a person in my life for whom I pray and get tempted to think God has not heard my prayers. This person's situation is getting worse rather than better. But I persist. I know that God hears my prayers and is responding to them. Over the course of time my prayers are being honed into more focused and insightful supplications. I seek a deeper understanding of how God's mercy and grace work in those praying and those being prayed for. And when doubt enters, I hearken back to the words of the custodian...and endeavor not to give up 5 minutes before the miracle.
3 comments:
Great post!
This reminds me of a wood festival that I went to this summer. I paid £5 for the privilege of climbing a 70 foot pole lumberjack style - wearing spiked boots and using a strap.
It was surprisingly exhausting. I stopped at what I thought was about 3/4 of the way up, too tired to keep going. When I looked up to see how much farther I still had to drag myself I discovered all I needed to do to touch the top was reach up a bit with my hand.
When you feel too tired to keep going, look up. You might be a lot closer to your destination than you think.
Thank you, Jeff, for your wonderful insight. Awesome.
Marty
Marty,
Thanks for this. I found it via the weekly Methodist blogs round-up. I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to quote it (and your take on it) in tomorrow morning's sermon, since our Lectionary Gospel is Luke 18:1-8.
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