National Geographic put out a video about the history of the Native American's relationship with the American Bison, or buffalo. Approximately 100 years ago, the vast herds of buffalo were slaughtered as a way of conquering the plains Indians. Now the Native peoples are bring back the buffalo by raising them on their reservations.At the conclusion of the video, this documentary shows one tribe donating 5 buffalo to another tribe to help the latter increase their herd. This calls for a celebration as the two groups come together for the exchange.
During this joyous event, one of the tribal Elders, who is closely involved with raising and herding the buffalo, is heard to say, " The prayers we made 100 years ago are being answered today. Do you have enough patience to wait 100 years for your prayers to be answered?" He smiles broadly and then says, "We do!"
As Christians, as a praying people, do we have that kind of patience? Are we willing to wait that long for our prayers to be answered? Are we able to pray without ceasing for as long as it takes to hear an answer? Is this part of what is meant when we urge each other to "keep the faith"?
There are no easy answers, especially if our world is falling apart around us. The good news is that God always hears our prayers and always answers, no matter how long it takes. (photo courtesy of flickr/SigmaEye)
