Luke 11:5-13

Luke 11:5-13

“Who out of you all will have a friend, and will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, loan me three loaves of bread because my friend came to me out of the road and I don’t have something to set before him.’  And answering from within he says, ‘Do not give me trouble.  The door is already shut and my children are with me in bed.  I am not powerful enough to give it to you after getting up.’  I say to you, if he is not powerful enough to give it because he is his friend, yet through his persistent insistence he will give to him as much as he has need after getting up.  And I say to you all: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives.  And everyone who seeks finds.  And it will be opened to everyone who knocks.  And what son out of you all will ask his father for bread and he will give a stone to him?  Or if a fish, instead of a fish a serpent?  And if he will ask for an egg, will he give to him a scorpion?  Therefore, if you – while being evil – have known to give good gifts to your children, how much more the Father who is out of heaven will give the Holy Spirit to the ones who ask it of Him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus elaborates on our prayers.  In the first passage, we hear Jesus teach about persistence.  If we want something, we know as human beings that we usually need to convince other people to take our need as seriously as we take our need.  This is why two-year-olds through tantrums in public places.  They know they need to convince their parents about their need.  They just don’t have the maturity to do the convincing properly!  However, we understand this principle.  The human brain needs convincing.  Sometimes we even end up convincing ourselves regarding our needs when we truly bring them before the Father.

When has your understanding of your needs been altered by prayer?  When has your understanding of the needs of others been altered by prayer?

Second Thought:

In the middle verses we get a trio of advice from Jesus.  Ask.  Seek.  Knock.  Notice something about all of those words.  Each of those words assume a proactive position.  If we want something, we need to ask.  We shouldn’t expect it to just be handed to us as though we are being spoon fed.  If we desire to know something, we need to seek it out.  We can’t expect that we are going to understand everything that God desires intuitively.  We need to seek out His will.  If we desire to be let in on what God is doing in the world, we need to knock and let God know that we desire to be included.  Jesus’ point is that He desires us to be proactive about our faith, our growth, and our ministry.

In what ways are you proactive about your faith?  Where could you stand to be a bit more proactive?

Third Thought:

Finally, we get to hear Jesus speak about something that honestly makes sense.  Most human beings know how to distinguish between being nice and being cruel.  Yet, we are sinners.  We are inherently selfish beings.  In spite of our nature, we can readily recognize nice behavior.  If we know how to recognize proper good behavior, then we should realize that God is going to be even better at it!  Since God does not have a nature of sin, He is also trustworthy in that He can deliver good and proper behavior.

Do you trust God to bring you into places that are good for you?  When is it hard to trust God?  When is it easy to trust in His goodness?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 11:14-23