Pray for RESULTS

 Jesus says - PRAY FOR RESULTS!

"And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?"

Because I spent so many years in a results-oriented, corporate-minded church culture, the word 'results' can sound threatening, as the pursuit of particular "measurable" results often trumped the preeminence of relationships.  But, as I read Jesus' parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke 18:1-8, Holy Spirit is teaching me a few things, and most noticeably - Jesus teaches his disciples to pray for results. 

1. When we pray, Jesus says we should "always pray and not give up (v.1)." We so often pray and if the result doesn't come immediately we resign with disclaimers like - "If it's God's will, then it might happen," or "It must not be God's will." Because every one of God's promises are "Yes, and amen" in Jesus, we can trust that every promise is ours for the praying! We must persist until our experience rises to the standard of God's word, but every time we give up in our prayers we make generally make excuses that drag God's word down to the standard of our experience!
2. As the woman in the parable seeks justice, so should every Christian. We're not just talking about social justice, or legal justice, but Jesus teaches us about GOD'S JUSTICE when he tells his disciples to pray - "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Therefore, every blind eye, lame tongue, deaf ear, sin-stained heart and relational dysfunction is an injustice in God's kingdom, and it's His kingdom we're seeking on earth!
3. We too have an adversary, the devil, and all who would side with his kingdom, not God's. Jesus reminds us time and again that God is our Father, who longs to do more for us than the greatest earthly father, and as a judge has authority over his jurisdiction, so God has authority over heaven and earth. Not only can God deliver justice, He wants to for every one of His children. GOD IS BOTH JUDGE AND FATHER. That's good news!
4. As James says, if we pray without expectation that we'll receive what we've prayed for, then we'll certainly not receive anything! Praying in FAITH IS EXPECTING to receive what Father has promised, because of who He is and what He has done for us in Jesus! As the persistent widow expected to receive justice, even if it required persistence, so we have an even greater guarantee of all that God promised! Jesus points to the persistent and expectant pleas of this widow and says, "will he find [such] faith on the earth (v.8)."

Last summer (2008), our 3 year old son got pinkeye. Though the doctors said it wouldn't clear without antibiotics, my wife sensed the Lord telling her He wanted to heal the pinkeye. Five days later we both found ourselves frustrated and confused because the pinkeye was not only persisting, but growing worse. We questioned our judgment (and so did others!), but every time we asked the Lord, He confirmed we needed to continue in prayer until we received God's healing for the pinkeye. On the fifth night, at the end of our ropes, we again spent the evening pleading before the Lord for the healing when He told us it was finished and our son was healed. The next day his eye was significantly better and within two days completely healed! We learned as God is our Father, it's His desire to mature our faith, not His lack of love, that will leave us praying for days, even weeks or months before we receive what He's promised. 

I have found that healings and miracles often come quickly to non-believers as a sign to bring them to faith, and less quickly for believers, who are in need of maturation, not instant gratification. As my own children grow (now 4 and 6), I appreciate more and more the fatherly nature of God's love in our lives. Like so many children, we rarely willingly choose the discipline that is so important in bringing us to maturity. For this reason, we are blessed to have a good Father, who always chooses what's good for us, despite our tantrums.