To Speak! Or To Listen!

"In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, "Grant me justice against my opponent.”

Just for giggles, I am going to suggest that, in this parable, God is the persistent widow.  The one not listened to!  The one calling out to all his people who never seem to care that God know best.   

And, we, the people, are the unjust judge.

So lets turn the long standing interpretation of our need for prayer — persistent and unceasing prayer — up-side-down.  Lets just say , for now that, the people are the ones who aren’t listening to God’s continual prodding prayer to us.   

Because think about it!  

How long did God try to get the Hebrew people to listen to him?  Thousands and thousands of years!  And Those people, still today, are fighting between themselves.  Trying to prove their place as God’s “chosen Ones!”  Still bickering about who is right and who it not.  Still fighting over what land is whose!  

So now lets bring the people, of today, into this parable of the widow and the unjust judge.  Right now today, where God is still trying to get us to listen.  Still calling us to hope and justice, peace, good-will, kindness, love and most of all a trusting faith.  

Think about how often we neglect to realize how intertwined God is in our lives.

Why is that?  I truly do wonder!  

I wonder how have we become so removed from God’s persistent, unshakeable, never ending guidance and forgiveness?  

Do you think it is because we have become so sophisticatedly advanced that we no longer feel a need for God in our minute-to-minute lives?  

The Hebrews, wondering in the wilderness, at least had a healthy awe — a healthy respect — for God’s presence.  They certainly were very aware of his presence.   

So, what is it that we have forgotten, that they knew?  Or what is it that we are not hearing?  Or listening to?  

Or, is it possible that people have never quite grasped the true way to communicate with God?

Because, to be clear,  prayer/conversation with God is not so much about asking; but participating.  Doing the job of listening!  Listening to what God wants!  What God needs us to do and to be.  

The greater part of this communication is listening!  Trying to understand!  Willing to be guided!  Actually, it is our awareness that we need God’s guidance.

So yes! Maybe that is what God keeps prodding us about.  Our attention!  Our willingness to want to hear/listen.  

Because the truth, as I believe it, is that God already knows us inside and out.  He already knows what we want and what we need.

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

So the question spans down through history!  Does God/Jesus find faith here on this earth today?

You have to admit!  That is an extremely thought provoking wonder.  Just think about the time in history when that question was asked.  It was when God was in human flesh.  When he personally walked along with them, and talked to them, and modeled life for them.

And do you know what?  I’m thinking that even at that time God must have perceived a continuation of the old trends.   

A trends that existed even before he came in Jesus skin.

A trend he actually experienced among the people he walked with.

So he must have realized that trend, or something similar,  would continue on into the future generations.  No matter what he said or what he did.  

A powerfully accurate perception by the way!

God does usually have a pretty good handle on whats going on with his people.

Point of clarification!  Despite all the above verbiage!  I do actually do think God does find faith living in this world.  And not exclusively within the Christian Community, by the way!  

He also finds “other” as well.  That is some with no faith at all.

I also think he finds that the majority of his people are still trying to figure it all out.  Stilling trying to understand this “God stuff.”  

That is, still very much believing in God.  And at the same time not knowing exactly what to believe is “real” or not.  Still waiting and watching and wondering.  Wondering how to go about sorting through all the different information that so many claim as “correct” truth.  “The correct” way to interpret all the ancient information.  That is were I think the majority of people are today.  Sorting!

Maybe what God finds here is mostly confusion of faith!  Sort of like it must have been in the very beginning of time.  When the world was formless and void and darkness covered the deep.(Gen.1) 

A lot of confusion, often formless and void.  Where people are unable to grasp the wonder, and realness, of God.   Unable to grasp God’s concept of what he created the human creature to be like on the earth.

That is the very real situation we find ourselves in today.  Isn’t it?  Not being able to grasp God’s very real presence in our advanced technological culture.  And how our individual lives fit!

Which puts God in the position of having to persistently prod us to listen to him.  To listen to the, amazingly simple, possibility he brings to this computerized world.

1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, "Grant me justice against my opponent.' 4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, "Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.' " 6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? (Luke 18)