pray persistently

by Ann Staatz (Oregon, U.S.A.)

Be persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God.
-Colossians 4:2 (TEV)

A mother robin built her nursery on the beam supporting my back porch roof. The beam was a dry, safe place for raising babies, but I pictured the floor covered with bird droppings. I decided the nest had to go. I batted it down with a broom and dropped the dried mud, sticks, and string into my garbage can. Two days later, another nest appeared in the same place. With the broom I again made short work of the robin's painstaking creation. Several days later, yet another nest rested on the beam.

My heart softened as I thought, If this mother robin has worked that hard, carrying one stick at a time, one drop of mud at a time to the beam, maybe I should leave her alone. So I did.

The robin's persistence reminded me of the story Jesus told his disciples. A widow repeatedly brought her case before a hardened judge. Because of the woman's constant requests, the judge finally agreed to hear the case. Jesus was illustrating that we should continually bring our needs before God in prayer. If a woman's repeated request eventually caused an uncaring judge to consent, certainly our consistent prayers will gain the ear of our loving heavenly Father. Often we become discouraged and give up praying. Instead, the story in Luke tells us to continue praying and never give up.