As I've been writing this series of blogs to tell you more about Storyline, another project is on the go that has required me to throw myself into the world of social media. I've always been on Facebook, I am just getting my head around Instagram but I can't get on with Twitter. I have a soulwithaview account and occasionally tweet but I tend to associate twitter with Donald Trump and trolls!
The word tweet has taken on a whole new meaning since Twitter launched in 2006, but originally it was used to describe the sound that birds made to communicate with each other. They will tweet to establish their territory, warn off other birds, to let others know if danger is around or to simply get their attention. It's fairly clear how the original meaning of the word tweet interlinks with its use on the social media platform.
In the parable of the persistent widow, we find a woman who wouldn't stop twittering on. She had been let down repeatedly by a dishonest judge whose duty it was to look out for her. He repeatedly ignored her requests but she was relentless in her pursuit for justice.
"The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, 'I don't fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests."
Luke 18:4-5
With many of the parables, the disciples had to ask for an explanation, but in this case, Jesus set out the meaning before He even told the story. Jesus' intention was to show us that we should "always pray and never give up." Luke 18:1
If we're not careful, then we could fall into the trap of thinking that the judge represents God and we are represented by the persistent widow. We might sometimes feel like God is almost cruel in the way that He answers some prayers and appears to leave others unanswered. The judge only responded to the requests of the widow to get rid of her and he cared little for her welfare. In contrast, we are precious children of God and we can freely come into His presence and make our requests known to Him. Despite her lowly position the widow was determined to be heard. She didn't spend all day gossiping at the well or urging others to make petitions on her behalf, she just persistently made her requests known.
How often do we think we have prayed about something when in reality we have simply talked about it to lots of people?
What one request have you become weary of bringing to God in prayer?
Maybe now is the time to stop tweeting and start praying.
“Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the One who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.”
Max Lucado
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