Luke 11:1-13
Dear RTB’ers,
Prayer, specifically the Lord’s Prayer, persistence, and asking. The Lord’s Prayer also appears in a somewhat different, more familiar form in Matthew 6:9-13, during Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The persistence portion of today’s reading (Luke 11:5-8) is similar to the widow’s testing of the judge in Luke 18:1-8. Finally, the asking portion in today’s reading (Luke 11:9-13) is also found in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:7-11.
Prayer. It’s never enough in my life; it’s the toughest discipline that I need to incorporate more fully. The big take from today is “ask”. Yes, repentance is important – crucial, even! And yes, intercession is important. But God wants us to ask. It’s easy enough, if we just do it. Our kids ask. Our grandkids ask. They don’t wait to do it (or try it) on their own. Yet so often we are relying on our own abilities, our own work, when God wants us to ask. So often in Freedom Road our conversation moves to “control”. How much are we trying to control outcomes instead of first seeking God’s will? ASK! It’s not that hard…!
Blessings!
My own prayer life is far from what it ought to be, largely because I have a tendency not to apply what Jesus says here. I foolishly do not come to the Lord with full expectancy of faith. In fact, I frequently do not bother coming to the Lord at all, thinking something to the effect that my problems or issues do not rise to the level of warranting God’s attention. “Don’t bother the King of the Universe with such trivia,” I seem to think. And I call that attitude “humility,” but in truth it is anything but humble. It is, in fact, the height of arrogance, because it suggests that I can handle all those “trivial” problems by myself. But I cannot. I need the Lord. And I need Him for everything.
So let’s dispense with such false humility and come to our gracious Father in true humility, the kind of humility that asks impudently, in full realization that we are utterly dependent on Him and knowing that He desires to give us the Holy Spirit, if only we would ask.
Philippians 4:6 comes to mind:
…in everything by prayer and supplication (begging/asking) with thanksgiving let your requests be made know to God.
I come to God and pray about everything. But in my humble mind I think I’m not worthy to ask for anything because I am a sinner. So I’m not worthy to receive any goodness or even the simplest of prayers. I know He is a forgiving God, and once you repent the slate is wiped clean. I need to forgive myself, and that is another story. We are harder on ourselves (I guess I’ll speak for myself) than God is. Thank you, Jesus, for your unconditional love, grace, and mercy!
Really good comment, Paige!! I love the personal connection that you offer. The more personal we can make Jesus and His Holy Spirit, the better we will all be!!
Prayer is also a challenge for me. I don’t want to ask for the wrong things. But I also don’t want to neglect praying for God’s blessing in situations because I’m not sure whether God is going to listen or not.
At the end of this passage, Jesus specifically mentions the Father will give good gifts to his children when they ask—the Holy Spirit. That is a prayer I should be praying more often!
(I think I still need to pray about how to pray…)