In today’s Gospel (Luke 11:1-13), in reply to his disciples request on how best to pray, Jesus instructs us in our approach to prayer – an approach  of persistence, where we honor God’s holiness and goodness, place our  trust and confidence in his limitless mercy and forgiveness, and align our will with God’s.

In the Old Testament reading (Genesis 18:20-32) we hear of Abraham’s confident persistence in his plea to God for mercy for the innocent minority of Sodom and Gomorrah.  We hear God’s response to Abraham – a response of mercy and forgiveness and a willingness to spare all, even the worst evil-doers, for the sake of the few innocent.

Like Abraham we can be persistent and confident in our prayer.  And maybe our foremost prayer is that of the disciples – maybe our greatest prayer is to ask God how best to pray, how best we can commune with him, how best we can come to know and love him, how best we can place our lives in His hands.

Here’s one other profound point that I take away from today’s scripture-

When I think about God’s response to Abraham’s request – God’s willingness to focus on the goodness of the few while overlooking the sin of the many, it helps me understand the value of goodness amidst evil.  It makes me think about the infinite value of that one act done out of love for God and how that one act – no matter how small or seemingly insignificant – can trump the evil that might surround it.  It reminds me that all of us can be a redemptive force in our world by our acts of worshipping God and serving each other.

So we go forward, persistent in our prayer, allowing ourselves to be drawn to the One who relentlessly pursues us.  We go forward with the hope that as we draw closer to God and align our will with His, we join ourselves to Christ’s redeeming work for the sake of our world.