Urgency in Prayer
Notes
Transcript
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
This has never happened to me. A friend of mine has ever knocked on my door at midnight to ask for bread. But this is exactly what happens in this parable. The design of the parable is to teach us an important truth. Because the truth is, if a friend of mine were to come knocking on my door at midnight, I might not be totally happy about it.
But, because he is my friend, I am probably going to help him. But according to verse 8, the whole point was not that friends help each other but that there was a certain urgency in the situation.
This parable teaches us of the necessity to persevere in prayer. But this parable goes farther than that. It speaks of a certain urgency in prayer that we must learn to develop.
Did you notice the old English word in Luke 11:8? “Importunity”. Importunity literally means “relentlessness or urgency; asking with persistence.” Proper prayer is not only an act of faith but it is accompanied with a sense of urgency - an urgency accompanied by a certain level of expectancy.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
This is one of the chief attitudes in prayer. There can be thankfulness. There can be praise. And often, there can be a great urgency. Another way to put it is to say that God requires a proper attitude in our prayers.
If you look at the context, a disciple had just asked Jesus to teach them how to pray as John the Baptist had taught his disciples.
So first, Jesus gave them the model prayer which you are probably familiar with, and which is also found in Matthew 6. This is instruction on what to pray about. But he follows this lesson up with a discussion on how to pray.
But if this parable is about prayer, then the man who was at home is an illustration of God and we are the friend knocking for the need.
We knock with urgency and God always hears our prayer. God honors prayer. He hears our needs and will answer in his due time. And by the way, his time is always the right time!
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; And while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
Someone used the acronym “PUSH” to describe this parable – Pray Until Something Happens!
Let’s take a look at this parable and learn some valuable lessons:
An Unexpected Requirement
An Unexpected Requirement
And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
The parable itself is a somewhat humorous illustration based in the culture of Jesus’ day.
Its late, midnight. Everybody is in bed. And suddenly, a man gets a visitor. It is a friend who has been on a long journey. The problem is, he has nothing suitable to feed him. The supermarket is closed. The cupboards are bare.
But the culture of the day required that you show honor by providing bread - unbroken bread. And he doesn’t have any. So what does he do? He heads over to his buddy’s house, who is also in bed, and starts banging on the door.
And that is really the end of the parable. The next two verses, verse 7 and 8 explain to us what would have been going through the buddy’s head. He would have been thinking, “Oh, go away. Can’t you see we are sleeping?” But that’s not what he does.
Apparently, the friend is persistent so because of his urgency, he gets out of the bed and gives him what he needs.
Now, I don’t like to bother people. If I need something, I don’t like to ask. So I would especially not be asking at midnight. It would take a pretty serious need, an urgent need requiring immediate attention, in order for me to go banging on a friend’s door at midnight.
And I am pretty sure that most people are like me in that regard.
What was it that drove this man to do such a thing as to wake his friend up in the middle of the night? He suddenly had a great need in the middle of the night! Another friend suddenly appeared in the middle of the night at his house and he had nothing in the refrigerator.
Clearly, he wasn’t expecting visitors! The fact is, we don't always know when we will be in great need do we? In fact, if you always have what is required, there would never be such a thing as a need, would there be?
But needs don't come at a convenient time, do they? And as much as we would like to be prepared, we simply can’t know the future.
Midnight. In our day, many people stay up until midnight. But in Jesus’ day, when the sun went down, so did most people. So midnight was considered to be the darkest time - the middle of the night. And it can symbolize dark times in life as well.
Each one of us have had to deal with midnight. And we know when midnight is going to happen. We can expect it. We can plan for it. We can be ready for midnight. But we can’t always be ready for the sudden and unexpected need that happens at midnight.
The need that comes at midnight comes when we least expect it. It only takes one phone call, one knock at the door, one email. And in a moment, our life is turned upside down and we find ourselves with an urgent need.
In our parable, the knocking friend is pretty bold. I mean, who would do something like that? But , it is the driving necessity that provokes such boldness. And you probably know the reality of this.
How many times have you been driven to a sense of urgent prayer because of the size of the need? We know that we need help and we know that the Lord has all the power and resources to help us. So we are able to pray with a certain level of urgency.
Sometimes we don’t pray because we are under the false assumption that we can take care of things ourselves. But just as soon as things get out of our control, we find ourselves crying out to God. And that’s okay! It’s just sad that it far too often takes trials to get us to pray.
This man had a need that he could do absolutely nothing about. He was totally helpless. He was utterly dependent on his friend and if he would not help him, then he would not be able to meet the need. He faced an unexpected need and was completely helpless to do anything about it.
But he knew who could help. He had a friend that would surely help him. So what he does next is so crucial…
An Urgent Request
An Urgent Request
And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
What was he really asking for? The text says three loaves but in reality, it is more complicated than simply giving his friend some bread.
According to the Jewish culture of the day, it was customary to give a visitor an unbroken loaf of bread. If this was not done, then it was a clear indication that the visitor was undesired.
And this is so important to understand. This request was not just about the man making the request.
If the man had been hungry himself, he probably would have waited until morning. Or maybe just eaten some of the leftovers and made due. But this was not his need. It was actually the need of his traveling friend.
He was basically asking another friend to help him honor his guest. He did not pray to consume it upon his own lusts.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
He prayed for the sake of his visitor! He may have had a few scraps of bread but none that would honor his guest.
And what could he do? He couldn’t change the time of day. He couldn’t change the visit of the guest. He couldn’t delay the need. He was in an urgent situation that required immediate attention. And I want to remind you what Jesus said in the parable.
It was not their friendship that cause the man to answer his request. It was the importunity - the urgency - that caused him to answer.
Urgency! Prayer requires urgency! Where is the urgency in your prayer life? Consider how Jacob wrestled all night with the Angel of the Lord until he got his answer!
Real prayer – prayer that expects a result, prayer that is willing to wrestle with God until he blesses you – prayer is costly. It takes time. It requires discipline and perseverance. And so, merely believing in prayer in some abstract, theoretical sense won’t cut it.
That kind of thinking about prayer won’t get you out of bed early in the morning to meet with God before work. It won't pull you away from the TV and certainly won't bring you to prayer meeting in the middle of the week.
Notice also that this man felt the liberty to approach at a most inopportune time! He was secure in their relationship. He wasn’t just going down the street beating on doors until someone opened up. They had a relationship. Others may not answer the door. Others may not help him with his need. But he knew his friend would!
There is a story about a little boy who rushed toward the Emperor's chariot. A soldier stopped him and said, “Young man, you cannot go there. That man is our Emperor”. The boy replied, “He may be your emperor but he is my dad.” After this, he rushed into his father's open arms.
The child of God is a child of the King and can approach him with as much pride and confidence as the young lad did the emperor.
We didn’t read it, but take a look at Luke 11:11-13:
If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Do you see the emphasis placed on our relationship to the Father? Because we are sons, God hears us!
Now, let me just say this. The man didn’t have to knock and knock half the night. Yes, there was an urgency. But some folks take away from this story that we have to nag God until we get what we want. And I don’t think that this was Jesus’ point. Why? Because Jesus goes on to draw out a contrast between the friend and the Father.
God is not a sleepy, reluctant, friend but a holy and pure Father.
Sometime we think that our problem is that we have not prayed enough. But I think we should change the way we view this. It is not that we haven’t prayed enough. It is more that we haven’t prayed rightly.
We don’t have to nag God. He is not reluctant. Notice the phrase “how much more” in Luke 11:13. No, God is greater than the friend. And he will speedily answer. God answers willingly, freely, and consistently, to any child that asks, seeks, or knocks.
An Unconditional Response
An Unconditional Response
And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
Now, if I were to ask someone that didn’t have a close relationship with me - a neighbor, maybe a co-worker - verse 7 may be the result. "Don’t bother me. It’s too late. It would too much trouble. It will not only bother me but probably bother my family too".
So the whole point of verse 7 is to show that no matter how difficult it may be, the friend will rise from the bead and answer the request.
Folks, we need to believe that prayer changes things; that it’s more than just an exercise in wishful thinking. Otherwise, even if we believe we ought to pray, and even if we sincerely intend to pray, we won’t pray because we don’t expect results.
And when you think about it, why should we? Why should we get up early, or miss their favorite TV program, or attend prayer meeting? If prayer doesn’t really work, then why pray? Why waste the time that could be spent doing something else if prayer doesn’t work?
If I were to ask you whether or not you believed in prayer, every one of us would say yes. But I wonder if we really mean it since our prayer lives are so pitiful.
So the first thing I want you to see is that God hears us and will respond to our requests. And then, after we’ve determined that prayer matters, we’ll look at how to go about it.
We should not get the idea that God is unwilling to answer. The point is, God is more than willing to answer! Even in an untimely request! It is interesting that the Scriptures define our relationship with God in numerous ways:
We are his creatures
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
We are his servants
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
We are his children
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
We are his friends
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
God’s attitude toward us is one of love, friendship and favor. And so we can pray with confidence, knowing that He welcomes our prayers, knowing that he will respond to our cries for help.
And as I pointed out earlier, God is never late. He always meets the need at the appropriate time.
Now, here is an interesting thought about prayer. We say that God is ready and willing to answer our prayers. But then, if God is so ready and willing to answer, why do we also speak of persevering in prayer? Isn't this a bit contradictory?
The fact is, when we pray, we are not telling God anything He doesn’t already know. In fact, he knew that you would have your need at midnight long before you had any idea. And not only does He know your need, he already knows what needs to be done about it.
So your prayer is not passing information on to God. It is actually revealing your heart. It is strengthening your trust in God. And that’s why the Lord wants us to pray.
Every time we pray without getting an immediate result, we have a choice to make. Am I going to keep praying, or am I going to conclude that God isn’t listening and give up? In effect, God is asking us, "do you really believe in me? Are you really relying on me, and me alone? Or do you have a backup plan for getting what you want, just in case I don’t give you what you ask for?"
An Expected Condition
An Expected Condition
For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
This whole message we have been looking at this parable from the view of the one knocking on the door with the need. But consider with me for a moment why he is so desperate to bring bread to the friend? We have already pointed out that it was expected for this man to have something for his traveling friend. But today, that doesn’t matter as much. We may still be expected to be a good host to our friends but that typically ends at 9 pm at my house. So why the urgency at midnight for the traveling friend?
Consider with me the words of Jesus.
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
This friend isn’t asking so urgent for just his own needs. He is asking that Jesus would save, the bread of life would come to his lost friend. Jesus is teaching us here that we must admit our responsibility. God has sent us “friends” loved ones, coworker, or even classmates that are in desperate need for the bread of life.
Maybe you are a wife, and God has given you a husband who isn’t saved. He maybe has given you a close friend, or a mom or dad, or brother or sister. Someone who is not just some random person on the street although they need the Lord as well.
But God has placed these people in your life and no one is better sued to tell them about Jesus than you are. I have been asked and heard other Pastors be asked many times, “Would you be willing to come and tell my mom about Jesus?” “Would you share the gospel with my family?” Although I have said and know Pastors that will do the same, “Absolutely!”
Here is the point I mean to make and the point I believe Jesus is making as well. It is our job to come in urgent prayer that the Father would give you the confidence, boldness, and willing opportunity to bring the bread of life to the friend who is in great need of it.
Here Christ is teaching us to pray. He is teaching us to come to the Father as to one who has plenty of bread, and ask Him for bread for sinners.
Conclusion
Conclusion
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Every one of us have probably struggled with the thought that a prayer has not been answered, or will not be answered. And sometimes we get so discouraged at the situation that we just want to quit altogether and say “Why pray? Nothing happens.”
Sure, God answers other people’s prayers, but not mine. So why pray? But the problem is not God. The problem is us. We have knocked at the door, but then we walk away before the Lord answers.
The best conclusion to this message is the conclusion that Jesus gives concerning the simplicity of our prayer life:
Ask - this requires a certain humility as we admit that we are in need.
Seek - this requires persistence. It is a process. No one ever finds what they are looking for unless they are persistent in the search!
Knock - this requires reliance. There are many doors in life but we do not “knock” at them. No we knock at the Lord's door in prayer relying on him to answer!
God answers our prayers unconditionally. ANYONE WHO ASKS, SEEKS, OR KNOCKS WILL BE ANSWERED!
Prayer
The greatest news in the entire world is the message of salvation. That Jesus died to pay for our sins, that He rose from the dead, and that He offers forgiveness to all who will trust Him as their Saviour that is why it is called the gospel.
I wonder before I pray is that anyone that here that has never taken that good news? Maybe you are the friend that is in the need of the bread of life. It takes really two simple things to take the free gift of salvation. Believing and calling.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
that’s it. so will you come and do that? Maybe you need to come and ones again find the Urgency in prayer. Won’t you come and do that today?