Got a Minute? The 12:32 a.m. Call

Hi, friends in exile, got a minute?

My cell phone buzzed at 12:32 a.m. I was so deep in sleep that I did not hear it. Pretty soon, I faintly heard my lovely wife answering her phone. As I tried to wake up, I discovered that a friend needed our help as soon as possible. My lovely wife had been having back issues, so I needed to wake up, get dressed, and help. It took me a few minutes, but I finally made it.

This made me think about Jesus’ parable (Luke 11). Imagine you have a friend, Jesus says, and you go to him at midnight, knock on his door, and ask for bread to serve an unexpected guest. At first the friend tries to send you away, but you just keep knocking, and he finally gets up and shares with you. Jesus applied this to our prayers: “Keep on asking and it will be given to you, keep on seeking and you will find, keep on knocking and it will be opened to you” (FJV). In other words, call again! God, in contrast to me, is not asleep, but His timing is perfect. He rewards our persistence and answers our prayers with eternity in view.

Smiley Mudd