I have read many
books on prayer including all E M Bounds books on the topic. Recently I read a
book called “Unrelenting Prayer” by a man called Bob Sorge. Bob Sorge was a
pastor and worship leader, who several years ago, suffered an accident to his
throat. Can you think of anything more horrible happening to a preacher...and a
worship leader?
However in the
book "Unrelenting Prayer" Bob Sorge has given one of the best
expositions of Luke 18:1-8:
"And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men
ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge,
which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city;
and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not
for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor
regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her
continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge
saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto
him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them
speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the
earth?" Luke 18:1-8 KJV
Below is how it
spoke to me!
Here was a woman
of Israel, a widow with no male to represent her so you can imagine her lot
when she was faced with an adversary (probably a man) who wanted to take
advantage of her now that she was a widow. In the Israel of that time she has
no representative (we thank God for all our family and relatives who can rally
by us with their faith and assistance) and so has to take matters into her own
hands. To add insult to injury she has to approach an unjust judge as Jesus
said, a judge who feared not God nor regarded man.
As far as we can
see this widow’s case is doomed huh? But the widow refused to see it that way!
She had only one recourse, and no other support or assistance was in her sight,
so she took the only route open to her. She approached the unjust judge…who of
course did not listen to her! So what does she do? Does she turn away defeated
and throw up her hands in despair? Does she turn over lie down and die because
no one cared?
NO absolutely
NOT!
That judge
simply did not know what he had just let himself in for! She camped on his
doorstep, and cried every time she saw him “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
He would not
listen!
She waylaid him
in the streets “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
He would not listen!
She waited when
he came out of his office “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
He studiously
ignored her!
Next day she
repeated the process all over “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
... and the next
day…and the next…“AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
She just did not
know how to give up or when to give up!
NO! She simply
could NOT afford to give up!
Her attitude
spoke loudly: If I die then I die but I will die trying for this is the ONLY
venue open to me and I will work it for all it is worth… “AVENGE ME OF MINE
ADVERSARY!”
I will knock on
your door, I will rap at your window, I will cry after you in the street, I
will follow you to the market place and back home.
I will continue
to call on you to...
“AVENGE ME OF
MINE ADVERSARY!”
Can you see her
peering in at the restaurant window where the judge is sitting down to dinner
with his wife?
“Yoo! Hoo!
AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!” Can you hear the judge’s wife asking, “Who
is that woman? Get rid of her!" All the unceasing cry is finally getting
to the judge and he decides to do as the woman wanted “lest by her continual
coming she weary me”!!!
Now comes
the sweet part! Jesus said “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day
and night unto him, though He bear long with them? I tell you that He will
avenge them speedily.” See the paradox? Though HE bear LONG with them yet HE
will avenge them SPEEDILY!!! How can you bear LONG and yet do it SPEEDILY?
Then you picture
the LORD on His throne hearing the cry from out of your heart, pouring from
your lips, as in all your afflicted, storm tossed, pain filled being you are
tearfully crying, “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
… and He does
not seem to hear! The heavens seem like brass and your voice rebounds back to
you increasing your despair, discouragement, disappointment, disillusion,
doubts, depression, as Satan mocks you and pours on the pressure.
What do you do
then?
Do you give up?
Do you throw
down weapons, lay down your tools, fold into yourself and roll over and die.
NO! NO! NO!
We do not! What
do we do then?
We eyeball Satan
with our fiercest look and turn right back to Knock, Knock, Knocking on
Heaven’s door!
“AVENGE ME OF
MINE ADVERSARY!”
Let Satan laugh
“AVENGE ME OF
MINE ADVERSARY!”
Let the demons
mock
“AVENGE ME OF
MINE ADVERSARY!”
Let the world
smirk in skepticism
“AVENGE ME OF
MINE ADVERSARY!”
There is no
other way, no other source, no other person but my Father in Heaven.
I will continue
to ask “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
I will continue
to seek “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
I will continue
to knock “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
LORD I am still
here! I am not leaving! “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
Hellooooo God!
“AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
Now I believe
that if we are in God’s will and doing it His way He will continue to work on
our behalf despite our condition.
I have mentioned
many times, that regardless of what we are going through, the very fact that we
are still alive means that God wills it to be so, and it means that He still
has something for us to do, even if it is to learn something that can be passed
on to our posterity!
He will only
call you home when your task for Him is completed. So in the meantime LIVE! Fulfill
HIS purpose!
While we have
life and breathe within us, we continue to live for Him and breathe for Him,
but we will also continue to cry “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
And what is God
doing all this time?
He hears you and
can you see Him ordering the angels to catch every tear that you shed as you
cry “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
All your prayers
are placed like precious incense into heavenly containers as you CEASELESSLY
cry “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
Your cry is
music to His ears for He loves you so MUCH!
… and then
suddenly the cry strikes a responding chord and harmonizes with Heaven’s song!
…and the LORD
who has borne long, so long with you rises from His throne with fire in His
eyes, thunder in His Voice and wrath against your adversary radiating from His
face, as he bends the firmament and steps out onto the clouds to fight on your
behalf, for your cries have resounded and echoed through heaven as you unceasingly
called “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
David says: In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried
unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him,
even into his ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of
the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke
out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by
it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the
wind. He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark
waters and thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness that was before him his
thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. The LORD also thundered in
the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings,
and discomfited them. Then the channels of waters were seen, and the
foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of
the breath of thy nostrils. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of
many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated
me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my
calamity: but the LORD was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large
place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The LORD rewarded me
according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he
recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly
departed from my God. Psalms 18:6-21 KJV
He has borne
long with you, but now that He is moving on your behalf it happens SPEEDILY.
The enemy will
not only be made to restore to you but also to make restitution.
So while it may
seem as though there is no answer we have no other recourse but to keep crying
“AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
We will continue
to cry “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!” until the Lord moves on our behalf, or
until He calls us home.
But we will not
cease crying! “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
Like the
president in the Independence Day movie said: We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a
fight! We're going to live on, we're going to survive!!!
We will not go
quietly out into the night but will ceaselessly cry “AVENGE ME OF MINE
ADVERSARY!”
We will not
vanish without a fight but will ceaselessly cry “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
We're going to
live on, we're going to survive and will ceaselessly cry “AVENGE ME OF MINE
ADVERSARY!”
We will not give
up without a tooth and nails, lick down, dragged out, punch out, kicking and
screaming fight “AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSARY!”
We will fight
like Billy Sunday said of sin "I’ll
kick it as long as I’ve got a foot, and I’ll fight it as long as I’ve got a
fist. I’ll butt it as long as I’ve got a head. I’ll bite it as long as I’ve got
a tooth. And when I’m old and fistless and footless and toothless, I’ll gum it
till I go home to Glory and it goes home to perdition!"
For we have
within us, in this frail physical body eternity itself and we will not allow
the frailty to control us, but will behave like the spirit creations in Christ
that we are and we will cry continuously to our God “AVENGE ME OF MINE
ADVERSARY!”
And He
will!
THE LORD WILL
AVENGE US...SPEEDILY!!!
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