Luke 11

Jesus' Teaching on Prayer, Part II

⁵ Then Jesus said to them, "Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' ⁷ And suppose the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

⁹ "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; those who seek find; and to those who knock, the door will be opened.

¹¹ "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

This parable from Jesus is grounded in the sacred duty of hospitality in the Middle East of that time. It was the expectation that a traveler would receive nothing but the best when he stopped at someone's home along the way of a journey. People often traveled in the evening because of the heat of the midday sun and thus would find themselves in need of some relief by the end of the day. In this case, a friend goes to another friend seeking bread for one who has come to the house seeking such hospitality; the one to whom the visitor has come doesn't have any bread left for the day. The supposition, of course, is that a good friend would indeed share some bread; that's not the case here; the bread is provided, but only begrudgingly.

Jesus is seeking here to contrast the love and care of God with a neighbor who only reluctantly offers aid. No one, according to Jesus, has to beg God to be responsive. No one has to wonder whether or not God hears our prayers and responds. No one should question that God will bring us aid that we need. Indeed, ask and it will be given; seek and find; knock and the door will open.

There is, however, a real question as to what this passage really means. We cannot assume that if we just ask, seek, and knock, God will grant us whatever we wish. You know that's not the case. Nowhere does God promise us that our prayers will be answered as we want them answered. He does, though, promise to hear us, to respond to our concerns, and to help us. Jesus is proclaiming the trustworthiness of God when we come to Him with our heartfelt concerns.

We do need to pay attention to the gift God always gives us when we faithfully pray and that is the presence of the Spirit. Whether God answers our prayers as we wish, He comes to us as Spirit and speaks to our hearts and our minds and gives us assurance we're not alone. God may not give us what we ask but He will give us Himself. In the end, that's the best answer to prayer any of us can receive.

May you enter your prayer time filled with assurance, confidence, and trust; while accepting and recognizing what God does and does not promise!