The kong in the pocket

This morning I slept later than usual and it threw my whole schedule off. As I was walking downstairs, I noticed a small Kong, a chew toy that Maggie and Mamie share, on the floor. Snatching it up, I stuck it in my scrub pocket and promptly forgot about it. 

Tonight, Maggie jumped in my lap and was suddenly on the alert. She patted my pocket, scratched me on the arm, pushed me with her head. It was obvious she wanted something but I couldn't tell what. The longer I delayed in meeting her need, the more insistent she became.  Finally, she started scratching at my pocket and trying to get her head in the pocket. "Maggie, what in the world are you doing?" I asked. She was not giving up. Finally, I realized there was something in my pocket that she wanted. Sure enough, the Kong was still there. I pulled it out and we had dog heaven for a few minutes. Maggie was thrilled. She immediately snuggled in, safe from Mamie, and chewed away. 

Maggie's persistence in getting what she wanted reminded me of the story of the importunate widow in Luke 18. She wanted legal protection and the judge was the only one who could provide it. She was like Maggie, pesky persistent. She kept on and on until the judge, who did not care one bit about the widow or her need for protection said, "Enough! This lady is driving me nuts. Let her have what she wants so she will leave me alone!" 

That lady wasn't worried about the judge being tired of her. She just wanted what she needed and she was not giving up. Jesus said an interesting thing about this.  "now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly." (Luke 18:7,8 NASB)

Maggie and that widow knew something we would do well to emulate. When you need intervention from your mama, the judge, or Almighty God, it pays to persevere. If we addressed our prayer concerns with the tenacity of those two, not stopping until God met our need, whatever it may be, we might see more miraculous answers. If we prayed nonstop for our loved ones who have been led astray by the enemy of our soul,  and prayed with insistence that they be freed from the bonds of the evil one, perhaps we would see some divine intervention. Now I do not at all mean to imply that loved ones remain in bondage because we didn't pray enough. That's not true. Our prayer can, however, make a difference and this passage suggests that pressing on in prayer can yield a tremendous result. 

Are you concerned about a loved one? Pray! Is it taking too long? Pray! Are you tempted to quit because of the delay? Pray. Keep right on praying until your answer comes.