FAINT NOT

Greetings:

The usual purpose of parables was to keep the indifferent and uninterested from learning more than was good for them.

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear (Matthew 13:10 - 16).

But in the parable of the unjust judge, we get the message before the parable even begins. I suspect that this is Luke at work and not a reflection of the way the Savior taught on this occasion, but I could be wrong. Anyway, the parable begins with this statement:

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (Luke 18:1).


We had an interesting discussion about this in class today. With regard to praying, what does it mean to "faint"? For that matter, what does the Lord mean when he says we "ought always to pray"? I found 17 places in the standard works where we are commanded to pray always, the first of which is in this parable.

Luke 18:1
Luke 21:6
2 Nephi 32:9
3 Nephi 18:15
3 Nephi 18:18
3 Nephi 18:19
D&C 10:5
D&C 19:38
D&C 20:33
D&C 31:12
D&C 32:4
D&C 61:39
D&C 88:126
D&C 90:24
D&C 93:49
D&C 93:50
D&C 101:81

The sense I have of this commandment is that we must never stop praying. No quitting or fainting is allowed. This is not a directive to pray 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is a directive to pray every day of every week and to pray meaningfully. Prayer sabbaticals are as dangerous as nuclear warheads.

The parable introduced in this way is interesting:
2. There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:1 - 8)

This hardhearted judge will not be controlled by his fear of the judgement nor by his concern about what his constituents think of him. In fact, the thing that finally moves him to some action in behalf of this widow is his concern that her continual comings might "weary" him.

Better to give her what she wants than to allow her to drive me crazy, he seems to be saying. The judge is not a symbol for our Heavenly Father. He serves as a foil. If this indifferent and self-centered judge will hear and answer the appeals of this importunig widow, how much more will our Heavenly Father hear and grant our requests. Verse 8 suggests that he will do this "speedily"--that is, I think, as quickly as he possibly can. That would probably be after we have learned what we need to learn and prepared ourselves for divine intervention in our lives.

The Savior is going to Jericho, and near the city limits he encounters a blind man begging by the side of the road.

35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God (Luke 18:35-43).

How this man learned of the power of Christ we are not told, but from some source he knew that Jesus Christ could heal blindness. Perhaps one healed on another occasion had spoken to him: "If you ever encounter Jesus of Nazareth, ask for a blessing. He can restore your sight. When the sound of the passing crowds reaches him and he learns that the cause of the commotion is that Jesus is on his street, he begins to cry out to him. Of course he does. What else could he possibly do? Even when those leading the procession rebuked him he continued to cry out. This story seems to me to be a perfect exposition of the parable at the beginning of this chapter. Don't give up (don't faint) because some time passes or because people encourage you to quit making a fuss or because it seems hopeless. Cry out to him (The Book of Mormon uses the some form of the verb 'cry' about 100 times as a substitute for 'pray and 'prayer')."

There is another great reason to pray a lot. I found it in this article from the Wall Street Journal or one of those great newspapers like that:
Russell M. Nelson spoke of the willingness of God to answer prayers: I recognize that, on occasion, some of our most fervent prayers may seem to go unanswered. We wonder, "Why?" I know that feeling! I know the fears and tears of such moments. But I also know that our prayers are never ignored. Our faith is never unappreciated. I know that an all-wise Heavenly Father's perspective is much broader than is ours. While we know of our mortal problems and pain, He knows of our immortal progress and potential. If we pray to know His will and submit ourselves to it with patience and courage, heavenly healing can take place in His own way and time ("Jesus Christ--The Master Healer," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 86).

President Packer said it thus: Go quietly into the world. Go quietly about your affairs, and learn that in the still, small hours of the morning the Lord will speak to you. He will never fail to answer your prayers" [Boyd K. Packer: Commencement Address, 17 December 2005, BYU Hawaii].

Richard G. Scott from April 2007 Conference: He will always hear your prayers and will invariably answer them. However, His answers will seldom come while you are on your knees praying, even when you may plead for an immediate response. Rather, He will prompt you in quiet moments when the Spirit can most effectively touch your mind and heart. Hence, you should find periods of quiet time to recognize when you are being instructed and strengthened. His pattern causes you to grow.

It is true that the answers to our prayers may not always come as direct and at the
time, nor in the manner, we anticipate; but they do come, and at a time and in a manner best for the interests of him who offers the supplication (David O. McKay: CR, April 1969, p. 153).