There is an interesting story in Luke in the Bible. Jesus is talking to his disciples about prayer and he tells a story of a man who has unexpected guests and has no food for them. So, he goes to the house of a friend and knocks on the door asking for bread. The friend says “no”, the kids are asleep, the door is locked and he can’t get up to give him anything. The man keeps knocking on the door…..knocking on the door. Jesus says that if you keep knocking, standing your ground, waking up the neighbors and because the man is your friend, he will get up and give you whatever you need. Jesus goes on to say, “Ask and you shall receive” and to “be direct” with God. His point in this story regarding prayer seems to be to keep asking….to be persistent…..to keep struggling, to keep pleading, to stand your ground, and to keep knocking until the door is answered. It is not quite as simple as sending up a prayer and the next day getting what you want. Jesus speaks of struggling and keeping at it even if nothing comes because eventually something will. I am reminded of a story that Benjie in the band told me years ago of his teacher Livingston Taylor at the Berkelee School of Music asking the class what the most important thing was to make it in music. After several answers of Talent, Skill, practice…etc he finally said it was persistence. I think when we are persistent about something it is because our heart is there….love is there…and in a way God is there, the one who put this passion inside of us. Persistence implies some passion. What are you persistent about in your life? What are you persistent about in your prayers to God? The point seems to be to keep calling out in the darkness for an answer, to keep knocking on the door with bended knee until the door creaks open and the light hits us and the bread we have been asking for is given. It is not an easy answer but it is an honest one. Too many religious charlatens speak of prayer as an ATM that requires little thought and energy but if we are to truly be people of the spirit than we must realize that prayer takes more effort, more heart, more presistence than that.
