Praying with Persistence

Recap: The Lord’s Prayer (Or Disciple’s Prayer)

Priorities in our prayers:

The Holiness of God

A desire that he be exalted

A prayer for his Kingdom to come

For our daily bread

For forgiveness:

to be granted to us

that we would forgive others (sin is a debt)

That we be protected from temptations that would cause us to sin

Now we move from the elements of prayer to the urgency of prayer, and our need to be persistent in it.

Luke 11:5–13 ESV

And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, 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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Let’s look at this verse by verse

Luke 11:5 ESV

And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,

He is a friend, not a stranger.

We may be more willing to ask help from someone we love and we know loves us.

We are more willing to ask of someone we know has the means to help

This thought should make it easy for us to go to God, who loves us and has the means to help.

The man in this story assumes his friend has the loaves. Perhaps they were close enough to have known each other’s daily habits

He is going at midnight, showing his comfort with his friendship

Luke 11:6 ESV

for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;

The need was unexpected. He is not asking for help for a problem he created (although we may indeed ask God for help in our repentance)

He did not anticipate needing extra bread that evening

Now he is at risk of showing bad hospitality

In that time and culture, this was a serious embarrassment.

Luke 11:7 ESV

and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’?

The friend has already settled in for the night

Many houses were one room

In some cases, a large bed was shared by family members.

So there is no way to get up without disturbing the rest of the family from their sleep

He is a friend, but not quite ready to be put to inconvenience

Luke 11:8 ESV

I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.

In this case, the help is not as much linked to the friendship as to the persistence of the request.

We will see in several verses that we are not meant to consider that our requests are annoying to God, or put us out of favor, because he is not like a friend who has selfish motives, but a father who delights in helping his children. Yet this example is so that we can build from the lesser to greater. If even a sinful person will finally get up to help the one who is persistent, how much more a loving Father?

ESV: impudence: Also shamelessness. When we come to God, we must be shameless in our pleas with him.

Luke 11:9 ESV

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

We see here a progression to follow in prayer, with a metaphor of how we might come to God persistently and with urgency. Let us consider for a moment what one might do if they are homeless and without any resources, and there is a need. What need? Daily Bread.

The homeless person, in need of the daily bread, may begin by asking help. They may first seek help from someone familiar, but lacking a response here, they may move on to others, continuing to ask.

That asking, if the request is not yet granted, will lead to seeking. They may seek out another person to plead with, or they may revert to finding a trash can that may have some food on it.

If still they have not been helped, and the hunger has increased, the boldness increases, and now they may knock at a door, seeking help.

Remember why Jesus is giving this example, and what it is linked to. At the beginning of the chapter, he is asked to teach them how to pray, but he has expanded the lesson to include the posture of prayer, that is, not the physical posture, but the spiritual and emotional posture. One comes to God with needs and desires, and one is to be persistent like the friend who needs to show hospitality, and be willing to be shameless in coming to God, we ask, seek, and knock.

Father, hallowed be your name. Ask, seek, knock

Your kingdom come. Ask, seek, knock

Give us each day our daily bread: ask, seek, knock

forgive us our sins: ask, seek, knock

lead us not into temptation: ask, seek, knock.

Be persistent, and be urgent, in your prayers. Especially the prayers for the spiritual needs

Luke 11:10 ESV

For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

When it comes to God, if our prayers are in line with His will, we will receive what we ask for, we will find what we are looking for, and doors will be opened to us to wherever He has predestined us to go.

Luke 11:11–12 ESV

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

God is not like the annoyed friend, who gave more out of wanting to be left alone to go back to bed than love for the friend.

No loving Father would give their child something as a cruel joke when they needed something to eat.

Neither will God give his children something to harm them.

Luke 11:13 ESV

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

If mankind, who is sinful, generally understands that fathers are obligated to do good for their children, how much more the perfect, loving Father?

And here is a great gift, far more precious than food or physical comforts: The Holy Spirit.

Not said, but implied: the gratitude we should have:

Wouldn’t the friend go in the morning to profusely thank his friend for the bread?

Wouldn’t he greatly desire to return the favor in some way?

Wouldn’t he consider it a debt of love to the one who helped him?

Wouldn’t he speak well of his friend who helped him?

Wouldn’t his love increase for him?

Shouldn’t our response to God’s goodness to us be the same?

Shouldn’t we profusely thank our Father for His bread?

Shouldn’t we greatly desire to return the favor in some way?

(not that we could, but our worship should reflect our gratitude)

Shouldn’t we consider it a debt of love to the One who helped us?

Shouldn’t we speak well of our Father who helped us?

Shouldn’t our love increase for Him?

How do we show our love to God? In keeping his commands. In the prelude to the Ten Commandments, God reminded the people of his provision and protection. When we are reminded of His goodness towards us, our response should be a desire to obey his commandments, to worship him, and to honor him.

In a sense, our response to his kindness towards us is in the Lord’s prayer.

Just as the man would speak highly of his friend who helped him, we want our Father’s name hallowed. By us, and by others.

We want His will to be done

So it is, that we are given the prayer as a guide to a lifelong pattern, like the pattern we would hopefully have in our freindships and in our families.

An impudence, or shamelessness, to ask for help

A reverence and the seeking of good for one another and for the reputations of others

Needing forgiveness and being willing to forgive.

Protection from the temptations to evil.

May we be those who learn to pray as we ought, that we may live the life we are called to.

Ephesians 4:1–7 ESV

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.