June 10, 2021 – Click here to listen
About a year ago, I started allowing our little dog to eat table scraps. It is probably not as healthy for him as his normal dog food but he is so old I figured why not allow him to enjoy what he loves as he lives out his last days. He is almost blind and cannot hear anything and has some aggravating cysts on his body that are inherent in the genetic makeup of the breed. I can relate to him as I’m old, I’m nearly blind, I cannot hear, and I have barnacles on my skin from sun damage that a dermatologist routinely removes.
So our little dog has now gone from enjoying his treats to feeling entitled. He has never barked in his life, save when he is dreaming he will occasionally emit a little ruff -ruff sound and once I accidentally stepped on him and he emitted a sharp yowl. So the way he lets me know that he wants his fair share of whatever I happen to be eating be it a hamburger or potato chips is to sit on his haunches and stare at me. His stare is incessant and unnerving and he ends up winning that battle each meal. Lately he adds a little shiver to his routine and he stares at me with those big brown eyes trembling and the next thing I know I’m sharing my meal with him. I found that I had to give him part of my ice cream sandwich the other night because he stared me down until I gave him dessert.
I’m not always in the mood for this and I try to shoo him away and even yell at him but the stare just intensifies. He seems to know I’m bluffing or he is so adamant upon getting what he wants he is willing to risk getting swatted.
The Bible tells us to be persistent in prayer. I’m not sure the stare will work with God but certainly persistence will. Jesus even let us in on this little technique when he spoke about the parable in Luke 18:1 which tells of a widow who was not receiving justice for her case, so she continued to pester the judge and would not take “no” for an answer. Because the widow persisted in her pleas for justice, the ungodly judge finally relented and gave her what she asked. Jesus then challenged His followers to persist in their prayers the same way.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that all persistence is not praiseworthy. Remember Proverbs 4:25 “it is “better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.” Persistence in prayer should be for reasons God would approve and not merely trying to drive Him up the wall.
For those of us who desire to please the Lord, persistence keeps us from straying. We will not fail at putting one foot in front of the other as we walk the path God has designed for us. In my personal prayer life I’m perhaps as persistent as anyone you might meet. For all my faults I do have an abundance of self-discipline and I don’t waver in praying every day over and over again for important things going on in my life, or the lives of my family, friends, the lost, and this nation.
I envision God perceiving some of my prayers like I do my aggravating little mutt when giving me the stare. It is my hope that He will grow weary of my constant pleading and grant my request so He doesn’t have to listen to it all the time.
By the way I was an excellent salesman during my career and this trait worked there as well. I think some orders were given to me just to shut me up more than desiring my products and services. Try out the stare on your spouse tonight. Tell them you want something and then give them the stare. Don’t waver and endure and relentlessly stare them down.
Be persistent in your prayers too; Jesus said to stick with it.
Proverbs 4:25
Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.