the power of prayer.

Be joyful in hope, 

patient in affliction, 

faithful in prayer. 

Romans 12:12

I've read the parable of the persistent widow many times. The one where the widow goes to the unjust judge and begs him to grant her justice. 

An unjust judge. 

We in Malaysia should have no problem identifying with this phrase.

We all know justice is hard to come by. If I counted the number of people who've scoffed at it to my face, I think I'd actually be good at math in the end. (practice makes perfect)

The difference with Malaysian justice is, the judge got sick of the widow's persistence and granted her justice so that she'd leave him alone. 

I used to read this parable and go, wut.

Then I'd move on to the next parable and use that one for my quiet time. (the parable of the self-righteous person and a humble sinner - the lessons from this parable literally jump out at you, don't they?)

But today, as we read the parable, it occured to me that the widow begged. She begged for justice.

What do You think, Father, of me, Your daughter, begging?

Do you remember begging your parents for something? Like when they hit you with the rotan and it didn't seem like they were going to stop? Or before they hit you with the rotan, and you knew it was coming, and how much it was going to hurt? Or when you didn't do your homework like you were supposed to, and a sibling discovered it and said she/he was going to tell your parents?

Remember begging for one more chance?

You felt pathetic, didn't you?

If my parents gloated in my patheticness, I think I wouldn't have liked them very much.

When I beg God for something, does He gloat?

Listen to what the unjust judge says.

And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, 

who cry out to Him day and night? 

Will He keep putting them off?  

I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. 

Luke 18:6-8

'The power of prayer' does not mean mean prayer is powerful.

It means GOD is powerful.

-Mr Lian-

The verse in that parable that strikes me most even now is the second part of verse 8:

However,

when the Son of Man comes, 

will He find faith on the earth?

Do I beg because I have faith,
or because I have none?

I accidentally turned off my phone today.
And when I turned it back on,
the welcome message I'd written a long time ago,
and which I'd forgotten about,
greeted me:

Mujizat itu nyata.

with this much faith, 
as little as it may seem,
i fall on my knees. 
Father, find me faithfull. 

i still believe.