Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. Luke 18:4-5
All my life my family has enjoyed playing games together, including tv game shows. Typically Dad wins at Jeopardy and Mom wins at Wheel of Fortune. They’re both quite intelligent and were both school teachers.
In fact, my mom was my third grade teacher! One thing I remember learning in her class is what a “setting” is in a story. It’s a description of when and where the story occurs. For example, “Red Riding Hood” takes place in a rural setting in pre-industrial times, and West Side Story is set in Chicago in the 1950s.
Sadly, in recent years my mom has developed severe short-term memory loss. It’s almost as if she is constantly grasping for an understanding of her setting. She knows who she is and who we all are (at least for now). But she is constantly asking what day it is, and she can get confused about where she is. And she forgets that she just asked, so she asks over and over again, completely unaware she’s doing it.
It must be very troubling for her not to have a good grasp on the setting of the story she’s living. The good news is, she’s a faithful Christian. She’s still able to go to church. She still knows that she’s going to heaven. Her faith is an ingrained part of who she is, and I hope she will continue to be able to find comfort in that.
Sadly many people with full mental capacity do not know the spiritual setting they’re living in, and many don’t give it a moment’s thought.
No one likes to have to stop and ask for directions. We don’t like to admit that we’re lost. But spiritually that’s what has to happen because “all we like sheep have gone astray,” (Isaiah 53:6a). If we refuse to admit when we’re lost, we become like the prophets of Jeremiah’s day who prophesied, “‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace,” (Jeremiah 8:11b).
The truth is that lost sheep can come back to the Great Shepherd. Prodigal sons can have peace with the Father again. But not by ignoring Him. They have to “come to their senses” first (2 Timothy 2:25-26). The prodigal son was blind to the setting of his story until “he came to himself” and acknowledged two things: how low he had fallen, and that he didn’t have to stay there (Luke15:17).
If you aren’t sure where you are spiritually, don’t stop asking God until you are sure of the answer and sure what direction you need to go. “Search the scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11) for guidance.
In Luke 18:1ff Jesus told a story about an unrighteous judge who gave a widow justice, not because he cared about her or about justice, apparently, but just to avoid the annoyance of being asked repeatedly.
When my mom asks the same things repeatedly, we answer her with patience because we love her.
Don’t you think our loving God will do the same for us and more?
Earlier in Luke 11:5-10 Jesus gave another example in which a man asks his friend for help at midnight. The man turns him down at first saying it’s too late, but he finally agrees to help because the man keeps asking.
So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (v.9-10)
Our physical lives have all different kinds of settings. But spiritually, we’ve all come to the same place— we find ourselves outside the Garden of Eden, living in a world of sin. And when we come to the end of our lives, there are only two possible settings for eternity— in God’s presence, or out of it.
My mom may not always know where she is, but she knows where she’s going. And when she gets there, her sense of setting will be restored. She won’t have to ask anymore. She’ll be home.
Dear God, it’s overwhelming to think how much You have done to make sure we can know how to plan for eternity. Thank You for being so patient with Your children as we often forget and go the wrong way. Forgive us; guide us; bring us home. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
by Christie Cole Atkins
Walk Worthy 