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Blog Jeremiah's Blog Importunity | Importunity |
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[1.12.09]
I am 30 years old and have never heard this word: Importunate. However, during this last Christmas, my 3 year old son, Jed, exhibited a tremendous grasp of the concept of importunity. I guess you are wondering what "importunate" means. According to Dictionary.com, the word "importunate" means the following: "Urgent or persistent in solicitation, sometimes annoyingly so".
There was a specific toy that Jed wanted for Christmas. Any time anybody asked him what he wanted, he would always answer the same way, "Kung-Fu Panda toys". In fact, he would remind me and Courtenay about it every five minutes. So, I went on the hunt. On my first visit to the toy store, I found all of the Kung-Fu Panda characters, except for one: Master Tigress. I bought them all, and was so proud that I had found so many of them. Well, later that day (and every day until Christmas), Jed informed me that his favorite Kung-Fu Panda character was Master Tigress, and that Tigress was the only one he really wanted. So, during the next two weeks, I went to the toy store more times than I had ever been in my whole life. I had no luck locating the elusive action figure. I broadened my search to include Ebay. I found Master Tigress there, but for 3 times the price that it would have been in the store. However, at that moment, I wasn't willing to pay the price. (* it must be said that Jed WILL eventually get the toy... the hunt for a reasonably priced Master Tigress continues! haha!). I was introduced to the word, "importunity" as I was reading a commentary on Jesus' story of the persistent widow in Luke 18. In this story, there was a widow who, day after day, asked a judge to grant her justice against her adversary. The purely selfish judge became very annoyed by her constant petitioning. However, after this went on for some time, the judge granted her request... not because he cared, but because he was so annoyed. In this story and in the story of the man who asked for 3 loaves of bread from his neighbor (Luke 11:5-10), Jesus was teaching his disciples about praying earnestly. He told them that in both stories the people got what they needed, even from uncaring people, because of their persistence. Then He asked them how much more God, who does care for them, would answer their persistent prayers. The Jameison-Faussett-Brown Commentary refers to this persistence as "importunity" and defines that word as, "Shamelessness. Persisting in the face of all that seems reasonable and refusing to take denial." For many of us, we don't understand importunity. For example, we are at the start of a new year, and I am sure that many of you have made a slew of new year's resolutions (go to the gym, eat healthier, read the Bible everyday, have a prayer time). Some of us will give up on them after a few weeks or months... others might not even make it a week before we allow excuses to dismiss us from our goal. Why? Because we lack importunity. We don't feel that the need is desperate enough to warrant our greatest, most radical effort.
People in poorer countries or harder circumstances have a greater understanding of importunity. Their needs, such as fresh water, food and medicine, are connected to the core of their existence. Without those things, they die... plain and simple. The greater the need, the more motivated the person becomes to have the need satisfied. I think the same principle applies in our spiritual lives.
Many stories in the Bible provide examples to us of people who had desperate need and would not be denied. The paralytic who's friends lowered him through the roof to get to Jesus (Mark 2:1-11), the blind beggar who unapologetically yelled out to get Jesus' attention (Mark 10:46-52), and the bleeding lady who touched the hem of Jesus' clothes (Luke 8:43-48). In each of the stories, their needs caused them to be desperate enough to do whatever it took to be in the presence of Jesus. They did not let excuses dismiss them from their moment with God.
The truth is, we all have a need that is connected to the core of our existence... one that we must pursue with everything we have... one that we must not let any cost dismiss us from attaining... our need for God. Without Him, our souls perish... plain and simple.
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