Approximately two thousand years ago a decree was issued from the
judgment seat of God. It provided "legal" protection for the church against
the devil.
Indeed, when Jesus died for our sins, the "ruler of
this world" was judged. Our debts were nailed to Christ's cross and
canceled; principalities and powers were disarmed (John 16:11; Col.
2:13-15). Because of Jesus, we have a legal right not only to be
protected from our enemy but to triumph over him.
It does not matter what nation you come from, the sacrifice of Christ was so
complete and the judicial decision from God against Satan so decisive that
divine protection, enough to cover even the entire church in a city, has
been granted (see Rev. 3:10).
Christ's death is the lawful platform upon which the church rises to do
spiritual warfare; His Word is the eternal sword we raise against
wickedness. Having said that, we must also acknowledge that the church has
only rarely walked in such victory since the first century. Why?
The answer is this: To attain the protection of Christ, the church must
embrace the intercession of Christ. We must become a house of prayer.
Embracing the Intercession of Christ
Indeed, church history began with its leadership devoted to the Word of God
and to prayer (Acts 2:42; 6:4). Every day
the leaders gathered to pray and minister to the Lord (Acts 3:1). In this
clarity of vision and simplicity of purpose, the church of Jesus Christ
never had greater power or capacity to make true disciples. These men and
women revealed the purity of the kingdom of God.
Today, however, our qualifications for church leadership include almost
everything but devotion to God's Word and prayer. Leaders are expected to be
organizers, counselors, and individuals with winning personalities whose
charms alone can draw people.
In Luke 18, Jesus challenges our modern traditions. He asks, "When
the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" (v. 8) His
question is a warning to Christians who would limit the power of God at the
end of the age. Jesus is calling us to resist the downward pull of our
traditions; He is asking us as individuals, "Will I find faith
in you?"
Before we respond, let us note that Jesus associates
"faith" with "day and night prayer" (Luke 18:7).
He is not asking, "Will I find correct doctrines in you?" The
Lord's question does not so much concern itself with right knowledge as with
right faith. What we believe is important, but how we
believe is vital in securing the help of God.
Indeed, procuring the supernatural help of God is exactly the point of
Jesus' parable in Luke 18. His intent was to show that "at all
times" we "ought to pray and not to lose heart"
(Luke 18:1). To illustrate the quality of faith He seeks, He followed His
admonition with a parable about a certain widow who petitioned a hardened
judge for "legal protection" (v. 3). Although the judge was
initially unwilling, yet by her "continually coming" (v. 5)
she gained what was legally hers.
Jesus concluded by saying if an unrighteous judge will respond to a widow's
persistence, shall not God avenge quickly "His elect, who cry to Him
day and night, and will He delay long over them?" Jesus said,
"I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily"
(see Luke 18:1-8).
UNDERSTANDING GOD'S DELAYS
Our Heavenly Judge will not delay long over His elect, but
He will delay. In fact, God's definition of "speedily" and ours
are not always synonymous. The Lord incorporates delays into His overall
plan: Delays work perseverance in us. So crucial is endurance to
our character development that God is willing to delay even important
answers to prayer to facilitate our transformation.
Thus, we should not interpret divine delays as signs of divine reluctance.
Delays are tools to perfect our faith. Christ is looking to find a tenacity
in our faith that prevails in spite of delays and setbacks. He seeks to
create a perseverance within us that outlasts the test of time, a resolve
that actually grows stronger during delays. When the Father sees
this quality of persistence in our faith, it so touches His heart that He
grants "legal protection" to His people.
DESPERATION PRODUCES CHANGE
It is significant that Jesus compared His elect to a widow harassed by an
enemy. The image is actually liberating, for we tend to conceptualize the
heroes of the faith as David or Joshua types--individuals whose successes
obscure their humble beginnings. But each of God's servants has, like the
widow, a former life that is brimming with excuses and occasions to waver.
Look at the widow: She has legitimate reasons to quit, but instead she
prevails. Indeed, she refuses to exempt herself from her high potential
simply because of her low estate. She makes no apologies for her lack of
finances, knowledge or charm. Giving herself no reason to fail, she
unashamedly plants her case before the judge where she pleads for and
receives what is hers: legal protection from her opponent.
How did a common widow gain such strength of character? We can imagine that
there must have been a time when, under the relentless pressure of her
adversary, she became desperate, and desperation worked to her advantage.
Desperation is God's hammer: It demolishes the stronghold of fear and
shatters the chains of our excuses. When desperation exceeds our
fears, progress begins.
Today, the force prodding many Christians toward greater unity and prayer
has not been the sweetness of fellowship; more often it has been the assault
of the enemy. We are in desperate times. When it comes to touching God's
heart, other than for a few essential truths, unity of
desperation is more crucial than unity of doctrine.
GOD'S ELECT
Our nation is suffering from a deep social and moral collapse. If
we have ever needed God's anointing, it is now--but where are God's elect?
Where are the people whom Daniel says "know their God" and
"will display strength and take action"? (Dan. 11:32)
Is there no one divinely empowered who can fell the Goliaths of our age?
Perhaps we are looking in the wrong places. Perhaps, we need only to look in
our bathroom mirror. If you believe in Jesus and are desperate for God, you
qualify as one of God's elect. Remember, in the above parable the widow
typifies Christ's chosen.
We have erroneously held that God's chosen will never be
assaulted by the adversary, much less driven to desperation and "day and
night" prayer. But, this desperation is often the very crucible
in which the elect of God are forged. Jesus portrays this characteristic
metaphorically in the picture of the widow; He reveals the means through
which His elect prevail in battle at the end of the age.
When all is said and done, it is also possible that this widow may not have
been a singular person but a corporate people--a "widow church"--united in
Christ in a singular, desperate prayer for protection against her adversary.
We need the "legal protection" that a national revival provides.
But it will not come without unceasing prayer. You ask, "Where was the
prayer behind the charismatic renewal?" The Lord spoke to my heart that the
charismatic renewal was His answer to the cries of a million praying
mothers--women who refused to surrender their children to drugs and the
devil.
It is our turn to pray.
We are the widow who cannot give herself a reason for
failure; God will answer our day and night cry.
Let us position ourselves at His throne on behalf of our
cities and nations. Certainly, as we persevere in faith, the Lord will grant
us legal protection from our enemy.
Heavenly Father, forgive us for our lack of prayer and for
giving ourselves excuses to fail. Lord, we thank You for making us
desperate. Help us now to prevail, to attain the "legal protection" You have
provided us against our adversary. In Jesus' name. Amen.
