May 22: The "Plan B" of the Persistent Widow

May 22: The "Plan B" of the Persistent Widow

Scripture: "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?" — Luke 18:7

The widow had "lost" her "Plan A" (her husband and her advocate) and was being "oppressed" by her "adversary." She was in a "Plan B" of "struggle." But she had the "Truth of Persistence." She "kept coming" to the "unjust judge" until she "got justice." Jesus uses this to teach us about the "Plan B" of "Persistent Prayer."

"Persistence" is not about "changing God’s mind"; it is about "preparing our hearts." It is the "faith that doesn't give up." God "bears long" with us because He is "developing our character." His "Plan B" is to use our "struggles" to "strengthen our dependence" on Him.

"Persistent Prayer" is also a "Mental Health" tool. It "focuses our attention" on the "Source of Help" rather than the "source of the problem." It "releases" our "anxieties" into the "hands of the Father." This is the "Love of God" providing a "channel for our cries."

Don't "lose heart" today. If your "justice" is "delayed," keep "crying out." Your "Persistence" is an "act of faith" that honors God. Trust that the "Judge of all the Earth" will "do right" and will "avenge His elect" in His "perfect timing."

Reflection Questions:

1. What "prayer" have I been tempted to "give up on" lately?
2. How is my "Persistence" in prayer "changing me"?
3. Do I believe that God is "for me" even when the "answer is delayed"?
4. 
   

Source: Inspired by Christ's Object Lessons, Chapter: "The Reward of Persistence," Ellen G. White; "Prayer" series by John Bradshaw.