Overwhelm the Lord.

Were you an overwhelming child? Could you take "no" for an answer? Did you bug your parents when you wanted something? When I was little (I'd guess I was in 3rd grade) I really wanted one of those mini backpack purses. I don't know if you guys remember these things, but they were so popular at my elementary school. All of the cool girls wore the backpack purses while on the playground. It was a popular trend of the 90s and I just thought these purses were the coolest thing. So I remember bugging my Mom about them. I told her how cool I'd be if I had one. I told her that everyone has one. I told her that I just need one so badly. This probably lasted for a couple of weeks. Well one day I remember my Mom called me from work and said "I have a surprise for you and your sister, so do you want blue or red?" When I got off the phone I found my sister and told her about what Mom had said. We sat there for a while and tried to figure out what our surprise could be. With the 2 color options we figured it was probably 2 Power Ranger toys. My sister and I were fond of the Power Rangers when we were little. I mean you guys know season one was awesome, what little girl didn't want to be Kimberly (the pink ranger)? Anyways, when our Mom got home that day we were so happy that it wasn't another Power Ranger toy (we already had a few). Instead, Mom had went out on her lunch break and bought 2 mini backpack purses!! Our pestering had worked! Mom broke down and got us what we wanted. So yes, I was probably an overwhelming child that could not take "no" for an answer. But my persistence paid off.

I don't think my overwhelming, persistent attitude transitioned into adulthood with me. I mean if I really want something I will try my best to obtain it. But I'm not as aggravating about things as I once was. The reason I share all of this is because some Scripture was shared with me a few hours ago and it's been on my mind for a good portion of my morning. In one of the Gospels Jesus tells a story that is meant to encourage His people to constantly be in prayer. He talks about this overwhelming, persistent attitude in a positive light. Jesus shares the story of this judge. There was this judge that had no concern for God or men. Jesus describes this judge as being unrighteous. He's a bad guy. Jesus also talks about a persistent widow. This widow believed she had experienced some sort of injustice and was not satisfied with the way things were going. So she continually kept going to this judge and requesting that he grant her justice against her adversary. The judge would rule against her, so she'd come back and bug him some more. Finally one day the judge got exhausted with having to deal with this persistent woman who refused to give up. He decided to rule in her favor just so she would leave him alone. I find it interesting that Jesus gives us this widow that refuses to take "no" for an answer as our example of how we should approach prayer. It's kind of a funny story. Persistence pays. You can read about this in Luke 18:1-8.

Now as I mentioned, Jesus did share this story to encourage us to pray and not lose heart. What's interesting is what Jesus says to close this story:

"Hear what the unrighteous judge says. (7) And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? (8) I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Jesus says that His people will be a people dedicated to prayer, day and night. God hears the prayers of His people, and He will grant them what is right. But are we being faithful? Are we trusting that God is sovereign? Are we trusting that He will grant what is right and that He is working all things together for the good of those that love Him (Romans 8:28)? Are we being persistent in our prayer lives? The widow overwhelmed that judge. One request was not enough. Are we praying like this? Do we constantly pour our hearts out to God, requesting our needs over and over, exercising the faith that Christ desires? Don't give up, don't lose heart. Keep pressing into prayer. Challenge yourself to pray so much that your constant prayer life overhwhelms God. This Scripture teaches us that we must be persistent with our faith. Do your best to overwhelm God because if the unrighteous will eventually give what is good, certainly the source of righteousness will grant that which is better. Your request could be anything! Maybe you're praying about the salvation of your spouse? Maybe there is a financial need? Maybe you've been crying out to God for a physical healing in your body? That prayer request that seems to get no further than the ceiling, keep taking it to the Lord. Overwhelm the Lord with your requests and stay in prayer. He will give you what is best.