There are few things more discouraging to a Christian than prayers that seem to go unanswered.
In Luke 11:5–13, Jesus tells an interesting parable. A man goes to his friend in the middle of the night to ask for bread because a traveller has arrived and he wants to show hospitality.
Through this parable, Jesus teaches persistence in prayer. He shows that God sometimes does not answer even legitimate requests from sincere hearts immediately.
Why would that be?
Here is a story that helps us wrestle with that difficult question.
There was a king who loved his people.
In his kingdom there were ten villages.
On the birthday of his son, the king asked him what he wanted. The son, completely satisfied and having a generous heart, requested that his father show generosity to the people instead.
This pleased the king greatly. He called for his scribe and heralds and dictated a letter:
To the people of my kingdom, whom I love.
This is a special day for me, and because I care deeply for you, I call on each village in my kingdom to make a request of me that, if granted, will benefit your village.
Your request must be made in writing and delivered to my son, who will present it to me.
I, your king, give you my word: if your request is presented in the manner I have prescribed, and if it is truly for the good of the whole village, I pledge to grant it, regardless of the cost.
If you do not see your request fulfilled within one month, write again, making the same request through my son. I will fulfil it.
King Jireh
After the letters were sent, the king’s son approached his father.
“Father, why would you delay in fulfilling the requests? Why require them to ask more than once?”
The king replied, “I have given my word to fulfil their requests. That is unchangeable. A right request, made in the right manner, will be granted. But I want to see whether my subjects trust my word.
“The villages that know my character, that know I am true to my word, will persist in asking. These are my true allies, the ones who know and love me.
“Those who become disgruntled and distance themselves from me do not know me.
“And those who respond to delay by spreading malicious gossip about me reveal themselves as enemies. In time, they would rise in rebellion.”
And so it unfolded.
One village chose not to write at all. They reasoned that if the king truly cared, he would send someone to inspect their needs himself.
In another village, a woman who worked as a cleaner in the king’s court suggested placing the letter secretly on the throne so the king would find it in the morning. The villagers thought it clever. It would bypass the red tape.
The king found the letter and tore it up without reading it. Under the law of the land, no village had the right to approach him directly.
Another letter was written by a group of leaders who had not consulted the rest of the village. Their wording made it obvious that they alone would benefit. The king disregarded that letter as well.
One village requested farming equipment to increase productivity and feed their people. A month passed. Nothing. Another week passed. They met and concluded that the king was not true to his word. “We are asking for food, not luxuries,” they said. “We cannot trust him.”
But there was one village known for its loyalty. They loved the king and his son.
They requested that a bridge be built over a dangerous ravine, the only route in or out of their village. Many had been injured crossing it. Some had died.
They sent their request.
One month passed. Nothing.
They sent another letter through the king’s son.
Another month passed. Nothing.
The village gathered to discuss the matter. A small boy had recently fallen while searching for sheep and broken his leg.
“Have we displeased the king?” they asked.
“Has he turned against us?”
“Does he no longer care?”
An old man, known for his wisdom, stood. The hall grew quiet.
“Friends,” he said, “our king is a good king.
“He has never forsaken us. For generations he has protected our borders. In times of famine he fed us from his own table. Even when we failed him, he did not abandon us.
“Do not forget what he wrote. He said he would grant the request. Ours was not selfish. We followed his instructions. It is clear that he is testing whether we trust his word.”
Many hung their heads. Some wept, ashamed of their wavering trust.
The old man continued, “We must write again.”
So they did:
Good King Jireh,
We write again, according to your command, regarding our request for a bridge over the ravine.
We confess that your delay has caused us confusion and pain. We have wrestled with doubts about your character. Such thoughts are evil, and we repent of them.
You have said that you will grant our request. Your word is more precious to us than gold.
Even if we must write a thousand more letters, each will testify to our trust in you.
We believe that the wisdom of the king will provide what we need at the right time.
Please hear our request from the lips of your beloved son.
Your humble and faithful servants.
As the son read the letter, the king wept with joy.
“Do you see, my son?” he said. “I have always known they needed a bridge. Long before they thought of it, I intended to build one.
“But it is more important that they understand this: a kingdom is not built with stone and timber.
“It is built when my people trust my word, even when the delay does not make sense.”
A recording of the full sermon can be found HERE.