| In today's Gospel reading, Jesus tells the disciples a parable to encourage them to "pray always and not grow weary." This is the first sentence in the passage, and I sort of got stuck there.
 If Jesus is telling us that we ought not to grow tired of prayer, it would seem to me that he does expect all of our prayers to be answered immediately. I mean, the only reason you would warn someone to not lose heart in an endeavor is if you expected success to be a long way off.
Of course, I'm the kind of person who tends to give up quickly when I don't get what I want. I tend to think that if God wants to grant my prayers, it will happen immediately. I will ask and immediately receive. I don't expect to have to try too hard for too long.
Jesus illustrates his point with the story of a "dishonest" judge who refuses to grant a widow's pleas for justice. The widow is relentless, and finally the judge, who could care less about the validity of the woman's claims, grants her petition just to get her out of his office. If a dishonest judge responds to an earnest petitioner, Jesus concludes, "Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?"
Why does the widow plead before the judge day and night? Probably because she has no choice. She is desperate. She can't force the system to help her without a judge's decision. Why should we call out to God day and night to for own needs and desires?
Perhaps the real issue is whether we have more faith in God than we do in our own abilities to manipulate our circumstances to our own advantage.
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The answer is, I think, the same. The reality is that we have no other choice. No one but God can meet our deepest needs and grant our dearest desires. However, at least in my case, I think I do have other options much of the time. So I give up prayer and try to solve my problems on my own.
Jesus concludes his story by asking his listeners: "When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on earth?" Prayer, of course, is one of the primary ways we demonstrate our faith in God. In prayer we express our dependence on God, and put our fate in God's hands. 
The story suggests that God does not always answer our prayers immediately. Perhaps the real issue is whether we have more faith in God than we do in our own abilities to manipulate our circumstances to our own advantage.
We tend to think of prayer as a means of getting God to perform projects for us - heal our ills, eliminate those things we believe to be obstacles to our happiness. "Be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient," Paul writes to Timothy in today's second reading. This is Christ's message as well.
Persistence in prayer is not a mere method of getting our wishes granted. It is the recognition that only God can truly help us. It is a matter of faith. Bill Peatman writes from Napa.
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