Finding Faith
Luke 18:1-8
10/21/2007
When I was a pastor in North Dakota one of our members ran the aviation service. He was bound and determined to teach the preacher how to fly. So we met and talked over a lot of things, and finally took off. We enjoyed some spectacular scenery over the ski runs there, and worked on some basics when I noticed something. It was getting dark. Now this was going to be the first time I had ever landed a plane, and I was going to do it at a tiny uncontrolled airport at night! And the runway was short, and it had a grove of trees at the end of the runway. I’ve never felt so helpless in all my life, that is, until I looked over and saw the confident smile on the face of my flight instructor. I felt his steady hands on the stick, and could feel his feet on the rudder pedals with mine. And I knew we were going to be just fine! And obviously we made it down. But I think that was when I learned what it really meant to have faith.
Now in our text today we are told the point of the parable in advance: The story is quite simple: There is a rotten judge and a widow in need of protection. He doesn’t want to do what is right, but this woman is so persistent that he finally gives in and gives it to her. And of course, the text goes on to say that if this lousy judge could be turned the right direction, just think what our righteous God will do to those who, in faith, cry out to Him day and night? The answer will not delay in coming! Remember, Jesus said that the whole point of this parable was to tell them to pray and not lose heart. Do we? We’ll come back to that in a moment. But the most poignant question of the passage is the one which has been repeated throughout the ages. Leaving aside questions about interpretation of prophecy, this is, I am certain, a question for this day and age. Will Christ, the Son of Man, find faith in us? And probably most important, what will faith look like? What might Christ be seeking to find? The most obvious thing from the passage is that God’s people are to be a people of prayer. But remember that Jesus is not talking about just a trite little rote memorized something to say to God. This is a true, heart-felt, cry of the heart. And I don’t think prayer has to be long to be sincere. It doesn’t have to be silent, or loud, or offered in the proper King James phraseology, for God to listen to it. I, for one, am glad that God hears the prayers of our hearts, even though often we don’t have the right words to express ourselves. And a people characterized by faith will be like this woman.
Do you believe in coincidences? Six years ago now I received a note from a mission group asking me to help them locate a certain amplifier which was needed in Malawi. They heard I knew about them, and I did. Also “coincidental” was the fact that a woman had just walked into my office and given me a check for $500.00 with the instructions to find a special need for this. Just enough to buy it! And also “coincidental” was the fact that I had also just received the grant for the money to allow me to go and be the one to take it to them. But there was more to the story. You see, I found out that the need for this piece of equipment was so great that the church in Malawi was holding a service of prayer and fasting, begging God to provide it. It was during this meeting that they received my email that not only did I have the money for the amp, but that I would be able to bring it to them. Those who were there told me that the rejoicing could be heard miles away.
Coincidence? No, all the way an answer to prayer. Those brothers and sisters had very little in the way of resources, but they knew who to get it from. Will Christ find faith in our prayer practices? Without it we are powerless. We have riches at our disposal and maybe we’ve never asked for them. I very much appreciate our prayer chain and the efforts of some of you. But it grieves me that we have no time specifically set aside for prayer. Because it is at the feet of Christ where we receive faith and strength and trust. Without it our faith becomes dry and our lives harden, and we become truly miserable trying to act like a Christian. James 2 makes it quite clear that faith without works is dead. And I hope you see the natural progression. With prayer, there will be a natural outpouring, not only of the blessings of God, but of good works towards others.A young boy went to the store and bought a dozen eggs for his mom. As he left the store, he tripped and dropped the sack. All the eggs broke, and the sidewalk was a mess. He tried not to cry. A few people told him how sorry they were. In the midst of the chaos, one man handed the boy a quarter. Then he turned to the group and said, “I care 25 cents worth. How much do the rest of you care?” Indeed, how much do we care?We as a church have some real decisions we must make in the near future. The sewardship part kicks off today. This ought to be fun, exciting! But it cannot happen without faith. Now faith is not the opposite of reason, and I know God expects us to use common sense. But if we limit our expectation closely to what we, in our own strength, can provide, then we miss the great blessing of God. I am praying that God will keep us close enough to Him that we will all fall on our knees in faith and in rejoicing, and say, God, do this through us! And we will hear the wonderful words of this passage: “Pray and do not lose heart.” And I pray that we will experience the words of Psalm 127:1 which says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” And I pray, God, build this church. Do you want Him to? If so, it will only happen with our reliance on God. I am told that the African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall. Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and to let nothing enclose us or entrap us. This is a time to reach for great things. When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith? Over the next few weeks the answer will become quite evident.
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