It is easy to give up when we have been praying for something for a long time but it seems like God is not answering our prayers. We keep on asking Him for the same things but nothing seems to be happening. We become discouraged and stop asking.
Jesus once told His disciples a story about a persistent widow. Jesus wanted to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who was a godless man with great contempt for everyone. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, appealing for justice against someone who had harmed her. The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she wore him out. `I fear neither God nor man,’ he said to himself, `but 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!’ ”
Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this evil judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?” (Luke 18:1-8)
God does not want us to give up just because we are not getting results. In His own time, He will answer our requests. If we really and truly want something, we will continue to pray about it. The widow really wanted justice so she continued asking for it and she got it. She didn’t get discouraged when she didn’t get it right away. The judge tried to ignore her but she persisted until she wore him out. God will grant us what we ask for. He will not keep putting us off like the judge.
Jesus wants us to keep the faith. He wants us to pray without ceasing. He wants us to be like the persistent widow. Don’t give up on God. He will answer your requests in due time.
The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlastinglove;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you – Jeremiah 31:3
Imagine you are a South Asian woman. Every day is a struggle and a challenge to survive. All you know is oppression from the day you were born until the day you die. As a girl child, your birth is not celebrated. You feel unwanted and are constantly reminded that you should have been born a boy. You are neglected, mistreated, abused or abandoned. As a young girl, you are abducted and forced into a life of prostitution which increases your risk of dying from AIDS.
If you are a widow, you are blamed for your husband’s death. His family and your community shun you and you are forced to fend for yourself. You are forced into an inhumane existence. You are completely alone, with no one to support or care for you. Life is too hard. There is no help. There is no hope. Only despair, misery and pain. What’s the use? Tens of thousands of widows end their lives just to end the pain.
If your dowry is not enough, your husband can douse you with kerosene and set you on fire. I have read horror stories of women being set on fire by their husbands or in-laws because of their dowries. A woman’s life is not worth anything. It’s hard to believe that there are countries where it’s not safe to be a woman. It can even be fatal. Women who survive infanticide because of gender are forced to live in a society which denies them rights to equality, respect, education, etc.
Being a woman in South Asia is unimaginable and unbearable for many and it is not surprising that the suicide rate is up to 21 times higher than the world’s average. Life for these women is a never-ending cycle of misery, hopelessness, degradation and rejection. These women need to know that there is hope. They need to know that there is a God who values them. To Him they are precious. They were fearfully and wonderfully made in His image.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you – Jeremiah 1:5
Imagine the joy these women will have when they hear about Jesus for the first time through Gospel for Asia’s ministries. Help them find hope and joy in a Savior who loved them so much that He gave His life for them so that one day they could spend eternity with Him. They need to know that they are worth a price far above rubies. They need to know that although there might have been silence in their homes on the days they were born, there was a joyful noise in heaven.
Women missionaries have been bringing the message of love and hope to the women of Asia. It is crucial that women minister to women because of the Asian culture. Women are more comfortable around other women. Gospel for Asia has trained, dedicated women missionaries who are willing to risk their lives to share the love of Jesus Christ with millions of women who still need to hear the Good News. These heroic women missionaries are willing to risk persecution, beatings and imprisonment because they are passionate about giving hope to women who have lived in despair for so long. They want to offer hurting women healing and encouragement. They want to bring the Savior’s light and love into their dark and uncaring world. Many Asian woman have had their lives transformed but there are still so many who are still waiting.
Weeping may endure for a night, But joycomes in the morning – Psalm 30:5
Help Gospel for Asia send more missionaries to those who are perishing without knowing about Jesus and His love. Find out how at this link. Help bring joy to a woman in Asia.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need – Hebrews 4:16
The power of prayer is remarkable. We have a God whom we can go to and ask for grace, mercy and help for others or ourselves and He will be more than happy to help us. Jesus was always encouraging people to pray. He told the story of the persistent widow who wearied the unjust judge until he granted her request. Jesus made it clear that if an unjust judge could grant this woman her request, how much more wouldn’t our loving Father grant ours.
When Santinu, a young boy from a poor village was diagnosed with a brain tumor, it must have seemed hopeless to his family and neighbors. However, with God nothing is hopeless or impossible. Through the prayers of Santinu’s friend, Sagan and a group of children from the Bridge of Hope Center, God demonstrated His awesome power.
Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayermade in this place – 2 Chronicles 6:40
I watched this incredible video and saw how God moves mightily in what might seem like insurmountable situations.
My friends and I started praying together because I believe in Jesus and I believe He can heal – Sagan
I was moved by the persistent prayer of these children. They went every day to Santinu’s home to pray for him. Jesus instructed us to, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). These children didn’t pray once and thought that was enough. No, they prayed daily until God answered. Their faith and trust in Him and their persistence impacted not only the sick boy’s life but the lives of others who needed healing too.
As I watched Santinu writhing in pain, I knew that God would intervene because He can’t stand to see anyone suffering. It was His will to heal Santinu. When I saw Santinu giving his testimony of how prayer had healed him, I couldn’t believe that it was the same boy. He looked completely different. He was no longer in pain. He was no longer facing death. God had blessed him with a new life, future and hope.
Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place – 2 Chronicles 7:15
It is God’s will to do so much for us. All we have to do is ask. God could have healed Santinu on His own but He chose to involve the children. The children had seen the power of prayer in the lives of their teachers and as a result they followed their example. I thought it was great how God decided to show Sagan and his prayer group that He will answer their prayers too in a mighty way. Like their teachers, they got to see the power of prayer demonstrated in their own lives and in the life of Santinu. People came to know the God who heals through children.
Have you seen the power of prayer in action? My husband has! Just the other day, he prayed to God about the pain in his leg. The very day he prayed about it, God answered. He can get in and out of the car without experiencing any pain. Yesterday morning we spoke about it. I said that God is just waiting to give us what we need. All we have to do is ask.
God uses anyone to impact the lives of others. He used Sagan and a group of children to show His love and mercy to those who didn’t know Him. He used the meek. These children acted in faith and humility, trusting in the power of the God they had learned about from their teachers at the Bridge of Hope.
This video showed me that as parents, teachers, we are to be godly examples to our children, training them up in the way they are to go so that when they are older they will not depart but will in turn teach the next generations by their example.
I will share this video with my seven year old son. I want him to see that no matter how old or how young you are, God can use you to help others and that prayer is a very powerful tool. Through prayer, God can use you to change lives, work miracles, move mountains and do the impossible. It is important for children to know that as long as their prayers are from the heart, God will hear them and respond. Encourage them to pray every day.
If you are interested in learning more about the Bridge of Hope, visit this link.
And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive – Matthew 21:22
I had an aunt who used to sew on the side and a co-worker who sews her own tops and dresses. My mother had a sewing machine but I don’t remember seeing her use it. Growing up it never occurred to me to learn how to sew. I was more interested in reading romance novels. If I were among the poor of Asia, knowing how to sew would come in very handy.
For the poor of Asia, sewing is not just a hobby; it is an opportunity to earn a livelihood for their family.
For one widow, sewing was her lifesaver. Unable to feed her family, she cried out to God in desperation and He answered her prayer through a sewing machine. Watch her amazing story.
I was moved by her story. She turned to God in her greatest need and He came through for her. As God usually does, what He provided was beyond what she expected. And in response to His faithfulness, she was faithful in returning a tithe of what she earned. The sewing machine was not only the source of her income which she used to feed her family but it was her opportunity to share her testimony with others. As a result her neighbors wanted to know more about the God who had given her the sewing machine which changed her life and the lives of her children.
It’s remarkable how God used something as simple and basic as a sewing machine to answer this widow’s prayers. And He is using sewing to bring joy to other women. In South Asia, there are sewing centres where they receive daily devotions, counseling, prayer and fellowship while attending a four-month sewing course which will equip them with the skills they need in order to have a better future.
Imagine the joy of a woman living in poverty in India, who is able to sell the beautiful garment she has created, to feed her family or help put a roof over their heads. Imagine the greater joy she felt upon hearing those beautiful words of Jesus for the first time through the sewing/tailoring ministry established in her village, where she learned to sew and establish her business – Christian Aid Mission
The widow reminded me that it is always best to wait upon the Lord. She thought of remarrying but decided against it because it would not have been the best thing for her children. She put their needs before her own. She turned to God instead. She followed Solomon’s advice, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding ; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5, 6). Even in her moments of despair and desperation, she held on to her faith and leaned on the Rock, trusting in His love and compassion. And her prayers were answered in the most wonderful and unexpected way.
I pray that we will have the faith of this widow who didn’t cave the temptation to solve her problems by herself. Too often we try to do things on our own instead of seeking God in prayer and waiting for Him to act on our behalf. Faith and reason prevailed in this widow’s case. She didn’t have to depend on a new husband to care for her. Instead she could depend on Almighty God who would be a Father to her children.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you – Matthew 7:7
In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge – Proverbs 14:26.
The earthquake in Nepal left more than rubble in its wake. It left heartbreak, loss and uncertainty.
When I look at Drastaa’s weathered face, I see unimaginable pain and devastation. I see someone who has suffered a crippling loss. She lost her only grand-daughter. The girl was only 16 years old. She had gone in to the forest to gather firewood when the earthquake struck, killing her. That day when Drastaa woke up, little did she know that her world would be turned upside down and that she would be facing the future alone.
Her life is like a heap of rubble. She has no idea how she was going to pick up the pieces and rebuild her life. The odds are stacked against her. She’s elderly. She’s a widow. She can’t work to support herself. Life for widows in Nepal is hard and they are victims of discrimination, isolation and rejection. In addition to the stigma that is attached to widowhood, she had to worry about the spreading of diseases because of the unsanitary conditions and the monsoon season which is typically lasts from mid-June to mid-September. A monsoon can seriously hamper relief and recovery efforts.
“As one whom his mother comforts, So I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13). Pray that Drastaa will receive this comfort and the help she needs to get back on her feet. Ask God to reveal Himself to her, letting her know that she is not suffering alone.
Leave your fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; And let your widows trust in Me – Jeremiah 49:11.
When the earth started shaking, Tarana’s husband rushed inside their home to look for their children, unaware that they were safe outside. The house collapsed on him, and Tarana is now widowed, caring for five children on her own – Gospel for Asia
When I read about what happened to Tarana’s husband, it brought tears to my eyes. I was touched by this family’s tragedy. In a matter of minutes, Tarana’s had lost her husband–she was a widow and her five children had lost their father. He had gone into their home, risking his life the save them.
What is going to happen to Tarana and her children? They are homeless. Their house was reduced to rubble. Where could they go? Who would help them? How is she going to rebuild their lives?
I encourage you to pray for Tarana and her children. Pray for their protection against disease and danger. I read that in the wake of the earthquakes, the UNICEF is working with the Nepalese government to stop child trafficking as the organization feared that there was a surge in the number of cases. According to Tomoo Hozumi, a UNICEF representative in Nepal, “Loss of livelihoods and worsening living conditions may allow traffickers to easily convince parents to give their children up for what they are made to believe will be a better life.” The traffickers promise education, meals and a better future but in reality, many of these children end up being “horrendously exploited and abused.”
As a widow with no source of income and raising five children, it is possible that Tarana could be approached by traffickers, promising her a better future for her children. Pray that God will watch over them. He is now the Father of these children and He will guard them. “…He will save the children of the needy” (Psalm 72:4).
Drastaa, Tarana and all of the other survivors need our prayers. Gospel for Asia offers these suggestions for prayer requests:
Comfort and hope for those grieving
Protection from disease and danger
God’s provision and sustenance for relief teams
Many to understand Jesus’ love
I applaud the work that GFA Compassion Services teams have been doing. They “have touched many lives through relief events during the past several weeks. They’ve focused on reaching remote, hard-to-reach villages where many lost homes, possessions, and sometimes loved ones.”
If you feel impressed to reach out to these survivors and you want to find more information on GFA’s relief work in Nepal, please visit http://gfa.org/earthquake/nepal.
Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place – 2 Chronicles 6:40.
They still hope when they die, that their son probably will come and light their pyre. A son who breaks your legs, a son who hits you so hard that your skull breaks, a son who is willing to put cow dung in your mouth – and yet you want the same son to come and light your pyre. We need to break that mind-set also, somewhere – Winnie Singh, social activist
I was searching the Internet to see what I could find out about the quality of life for widows in India and was shocked. After losing their husbands, they are faced with a life of begging and destitution. Some of them are thrown out by family members. One widow was beaten by the sons she had raised when she asked them for money. In-laws refuse to help some widows while others can’t go back home because their parents are too poor to take them back.
Widows face discrimination and are dehumanized. They are called “it” and in some instances, they are referred to as “randi” which means prostitute in Punjabi. Some of them marry their brothers-in-law because being man’s property protects them from being raped.
A widow is blamed for her husband’s death. “You are widowed because you did something wrong in your previous life: that is the view in this predominantly Hindu culture,” explains Dr. Leelavathi Manasseh of the Bible Society. “So, whether a widow is from a rich or poor background, she faces blame, mistreatment and rejection by her family. Many are kicked out of their homes and left to fend for themselves and their children, leaving them in a desperate situation.” It’s worse when a woman loses her husband to AIDS and she tests positive for HIV. She is met with even more rejection and ridicule.
In Northern India, there is a place called, “Widow City.” It is the holy city of Vrindavan. Widows go there because they believe that if you die there, you would be freed from the cycle of birth and death and obtain moksha (emancipation). It is a place where these women can get away from a life of isolation and the society where they have no place or value. They are there because they were cast out families who don’t want to pay for them or by in-laws who don’t want them to inherit money or property. They are ostracised by their villages. They have lost their income. They are at the bottom rungs of society and are prevented from remarrying. In Vrindavan, they pray at the temples and beg. Other widows go there, as pilgrims, intending to dedicate their remaining years to serving the deities Krishna and Radha.
Life for a widow is hard. When their husbands were alive, they were protected but once they were gone, these poor women felt like orphans because they had no one to take care of them or help them. They were all alone. Perhaps this is why in the Bible, orphans and widows were always paired together because they were defenceless, society’s vulnerable. God wants us to plead for the widows. Defend their rights to a future filled with hope and dignity. God made it clear that He is “Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans” (Malachi 3:5).
While society sees widows as a curse, God sees broken, abused, mistreated and unloved women whom He wants to enter into a loving relationship with. Their families don’t want them, but God wants them to be a part of His family.
Like so many widows, Netramani was cast out and left to fend for herself. “I was completely alone. … No one would give me work so I had to beg. … I had nothing to eat, nothing to wear. I was completely senseless and didn’t know anything. . .”
Watch Netramani’s heart-wrenching story and imagine either you or someone you know lying there, sick and helpless and no one stops to help.
…for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me’ – Matthew 25:35-40.
June 23 is International Widows’ Day, a day when we step into the lives of widows and imagine the desperate places where they find themselves. Some commit suicide rather than face the shame. Others turn to prostitution. Mothers resort to rummaging through the trash in order to feed themselves and their children. These women don’t deserve to be like this. You can change this. Through your donations you will make it possible for local pastors to help widows in need, buy them sewing machines, farm animals, or much-needed supplies like winter blankets, water filters and other essentials. And with your generous gift, these women will have the opportunity to learn about Jesus and His love and compassion for them. To find out more about how you can help, visit http://www.gfa.org/women/widows/
As Christians, we need to demonstrate the love of Christ who reached out to those who were hurting, oppressed and ostracised. He loved the unloved and valued those whom society deemed worthless. Together let us plead for the widows. Let us take up their cause. They have the right to keep their homes, their income and their dignity. Let us contend with those who mistreat them. Let us speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. When we do good to others, we honour God.
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation – Psalm 68:5.
