You Are Loved

This intriguing story is begun and ended by insights into Jesus’ own thinking. It begins with a clear statement of his purpose: that we will persevere in prayer (1). It ends with a question: how much of such persevering faith is there to be found (8)?

Between the two lies a gripping mini-drama of a needy woman, desperate in her poverty, who by the power of sheer determination persuades an uncaring judge to hear her case (3-5). The lesson is not that we should badger God–elsewhere Jesus has specifically outlawed such mindlessly verbose prayers (Matt. 6:7). The lesson, rather, is that we should not be afraid to approach God, because he loves us. God is not an unjust and uncaring judge. He is not a civil servant who will help us only because he has to, or because we’ve worn him down. He wants to hear our prayers. He wants to answer. What is being described here is the relationship God wants us to have with him. We are not his clients. We are not inconvenient problem cases. We are not strangers. We are his children.

This is the foundation of the faith Jesus calls us to: to know that we are loved. This is our starting point. Such love, John later tells us, drives out fear (1 John 4:18).  Jesus invites us to take our place as the beloved, and to see our fears dispelled. Many people mistakenly assume that the journey of discipleship begins when we confess our love for God, but it begins more deeply than that, at a place in our hearts that perhaps we have buried. It begins when we confess God’s love for us.

You have a name; perhaps a job title. In your family, a role is given to you. But above all, you are the one Jesus loves. Reflect on that.