"i Know My Rights!"

A PRINCIPLE OF PRAYER — The parable Jesus told in our text had one great purpose: “[People] ought always to pray and not lose heart” [LUKE 18:1]. His disciples needed that reminder then, and we who follow the Risen Saviour in this day need this same reminder. This is the point we must never forget: If you are a follower of the Risen Saviour, you have an obligation to pray. To be sure, prayer is a privilege, but we must never lose sight of our need to pray. You must not allow yourself to grow discouraged to the point that you cease to pray just because this business of prayer is demanding or because you don’t at once receive that for which you are asking. Praying is work, and every need of which you are aware deserves prayer—ardent prayer. You haven’t the strength or the ability to resolve the needs confronting you; you need the power of God to meet all those challenges toward which you are rushing each day.

I understand that our tendency is to live out our lives while running on autopilot. Some actions we have performed so often that we no longer give thought to how we will perform the task, or whether we should even do what we are about to do. We get in our vehicle and drive, really giving no thought to our constant need for our Lord’s protection. Years ago, this neglect on my part was brought to my attention on one memorable occasion while our family was ministering in the City by the Bay, San Francisco.

Lynda and I had offered to drive Miss Baker home from a church service. She was a rather spirited lady, a completed Jew, and she was part of our congregation in the Outer Mission district. She travelled about the city on the public transit, taking buses, street cars, or the BART. She quickly accepted our offer since it would save her some time, and she wouldn’t have to wait in the chill at various transit stops.

I pulled the seventy-two Plymouth to a stop in front of the church building. Lynda climbed into the back with the children and Miss Baker situated herself in the front passenger seat. As I started to put the car in gear, Miss Baker startled me when she shouted, “Stop! Don’t move!” I thought something terrible must surely have happened, or perhaps she had forgotten something essential. However, she continued in a commanding voice, “I haven’t prayed!” And with that she began a vigorous request of the Lord, pleading for protection from harm and His rebuke of the evil one.

“Young man,” Miss Baker said with firm conviction, “the devil doesn’t want you to live.” That certainly got my attention. But she wasn’t finished. She continued, “Satan will do anything he can to stop you from serving God. I won’t let you drive until I’ve asked Jesus for protection so you can continue serving.” Well, I hadn’t thought of the matter in that sense, but I realised she was right. I had become casual about what had become routine acts that I performed each day, despite knowing that the devil is a serious and an ever-present danger to anyone working for the Master. After all, didn’t Jesus teach us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” [JOHN 10:10a]. I knew that the devil was a threat to the work of Christ. I knew that he would seek to do harm to the servant of Christ. And though I knew that I am not indispensable to God’s work, I had been placed in the role I was then performing by the Spirit of God. Divine oversight kept me safe, and divine oversight keeps me safe to this day just as God’s oversight keeps each one who serves the Lord. We should never allow ourselves to take God’s protection for granted. We should often seek guidance and protection as we go about our day.