Luke 11:1-13 (NIV)

1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father,
hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

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 no food to offer 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; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, 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!”

Reflection

Can you imagine what it must have been like for the disciples when they learned what it meant to pray? It is so simple, yet Jesus reminds them through the parable about the friend and the bread, that if we want to see real things happen, it is about persisting until we get what we need. In this passage, Jesus explains that God is our Father, and therefore His love for us is like that of an earthly father for his own child, but yet so much greater. When we come to Him for the things we need, God doesn’t short change us or give us things that would bring us harm. Instead, He gives us gifts that bless us. At the forefront of these good gifts is His Holy Spirit. From this we can see that God wants us to know that the most important things in this life are not the material things of this world, but that it actually starts with having His Spirit in us, leading us again and again into this place of being close to Him and dependent on His love for us. From there, God leads us fully into this life of blessing and knowing Him. This is what we need most, and what will truly sustain us through the most difficult of trials.

Response

Let’s spend some time lifting up prayers to the One that knows everything that we need. Let’s ask, seek and knock in faith for those good gifts, trusting that God will bless us, giving us His Holy Spirit, as we journey through every circumstance of our lives.