“This woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!” (Luke 18:5 NLT)
Don’t Stop! Lesson from a Swallow
Some time ago, I observed a certain little swallow making it quite difficult for me to keep my house’s front steps tidy as she built her nest atop the arch connecting the two towering white columns on either side of my front stoop. I used a 16-foot pole to remove the nest, then cleaned up the disgusting mess the bird had made on the stoop and the columns. Feeling pleased I had gotten rid of the pesky critter, I went inside and sat down.
About an hour later I went outside only to discover that the swallow had begun rebuilding the nest. So, I removed it again and hosed down the stoop and the columns. An hour later, the swallow was back, rebuilding her nest in the same location. Not to be outdone, I got one of those colorful swirling contraptions that’s supposed to scare the birds away and set it up in front of my house after taking down the nest a third time. Unfazed by my attempts to thwart her work, she ignored the contraption and began rebuilding it yet again! This time, I decided to have a conversation with the swallow. Not being one to mince words, I looked up at the annoying little bird and said YOU WIN!
Like the persistent widow in Luke 18 who took her case for justice to an unjust judge, her persistence paid off! Like the man who kept knocking on his neighbor’s door at midnight in Luke 11 until he gave him what he wanted, the little swallow would not stop building. So, I allowed her to build her nest there and raise her family, though I would have to work harder at keeping the stoop clean!
What is the lesson for us in these tempestuous times of reckless and ruthless executive government leadership? Keep the faith! Do not allow the insanity of the wicked to hamper your work for the LORD! Consider Asaph in Psalm 73 whose “feet almost stumbled” when he observed the “prosperity of the wicked,” how “Their eyes bulge with abundance,” and how they “scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression.” Sounds familiar, doesn’t it- like those who brag about their billionaire status while taking away the livelihoods of myriad thousands of people while characterizing the good work they do as government waste. Do what Asaph did in Verse 17 of Ps. 73: Keep coming “into the sanctuary of God.” And whatever you are doing in the Kingdom, don’t stop doing it! You might have to overcome some strong opposition like the swallow did from me, but please don’t allow the opposition to stymie your progress. Don’t stop! Keep on praying! Keep on fasting! Keep on believing and trusting God! Be persistent like the swallow, and you will win!
Focus Quote: “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” –Matthew 7:7 NLT
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