A dear pastor and his wife in the Midwest found themselves in the middle of the unthinkable. Without ever violating a law or even an ethical standard, they found themselves being sued for the faith. Because they had little experience with the law and legal proceedings, they expected for their situation to be resolved speedily. They had no idea that their case would take years.
To begin with, this couple had to accept the fact that the preparations for a trial can take a lot longer than one might imagine. They had no way of anticipating how much time it would take to deal with the tedious legal details.
Finally, their case got to court. Though the facts were definitely on their side, the jury came back with a guilty verdict. Their hearts were crushed, but now they had to go through the long process of appealing their case.
When the appellate court heard their case, they actually won. But the day they won, they responded, “We are surely grateful for this legal victory. But this case has consumed so much of our lives for more than four years that even winning seems hollow. We are thankful, but we are exhausted.”
This story, of course, could be told over and over. There is a reason the old adage says, “The wheels of justice turn slowly.” People who watch court cases mustn’t be disheartened when they don’t receive the outcome they had hoped for because the case may be won on appeal. People who are in the midst of court cases need patience as they deal with legal matters day in and day out, especially when they feel that there is no end in sight.
At the Christian Law Association, we are thankful when certain matters can be handled expeditiously, when they can be “nipped in the bud,” so to speak. But we also covet your prayers as our legal missionaries spend an enormous amount of time on difficult cases. Though our experienced attorneys do unparalleled work on the cases, all of us benefit from having more patience.
We humbly ask that you pray for good and Godly people who are in the midst of legal struggles at this moment, that you pray for our legal staff as they tend to these difficult and tedious cases, and that you pray for our nation as many important cases slowly make their way through the legal system. We surely need God’s gracious hand of blessing, and we need to be patient people.