Devotional Reading from the Common Lectionary: Luke 18: 1-8

Text: (Jesus): And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

The longer I live the less I know. When I was a young man I had everything pretty much figured out, especially in “the ways of God”. And then Life happened, and I got knocked down a time or two.  I have had times of losing my spiritual balance. But in the process, I think that I am learning what it is to be “faithful”. Now I tell people that I don’t have a clue what God is up to, but I know that somehow God is in the mix and will bring something good out of our biggest messes.*

In the parable assigned for today Jesus used a comparison of contracts. God is not like the unjust judge. Earlier in Luke Jesus did the same thing when He asked the disciples, “What father would give their hungry child a snake or a scorpion instead of a fish or egg?” It’s a rhetorical question but the answer is obvious. No one.  We don’t have to “beat down the doors of heaven for God to pay attention to us. We cannot weary God with our prayers and desires.

The real question is, can we believe that in life and death we belong to God even when our prayers are not answered?**  Can we believe that God is somewhere in the mix and that we have to live by Faith rather than Sight***?

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.****Amen.

*Romans 8: 28

**Romans 14:8 and The Brief Statement of Faith” in The Book of Confessions of the Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.)

***II Corinthians 5:7

****Mark 9:24