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!”
Luke 11:5-13
Jesus is never annoyed with your prayers—the bolder they are the better—because you are saying that He truly can do anything! In this account, the disciples had just asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (see Luke 11:1). Then Jesus tells them this parable of the persistent friend. So in Jesus words, He is saying to them: pray often and pray boldly. And He tells us the very same thing.
In this story, neighbors are friends, not strangers. In the Greek language, a friend means ‘to share common interests’, so the seeker friend wasn’t asking anything that would go against the interest of the giver friend! Now the giver friend may have wanted to wait until the morning, but he wasn’t against giving his friend all he needed. Jesus is our Friend and, if we spend time with Him and truly get to know Him, we will know more about Him and our wants will most likely go along with what He wants for us. Yet sometimes we do ask for things that aren’t right for us or maybe it’s not right at this very time and so the answer is ‘no’. God isn’t saying that He will give us anything we ask in His name just because we are bold enough to ask. Remember, friends don’t ask of one another what they would be opposed to giving. And friends know one another so well that they know if what they are asking is okay to ask.
Is there something that you are praying for today? Don’t be afraid to be bold. Don’t ever think that Jesus will get tired of hearing the same request over and over because He never tires of hearing your voice. I do prayer walks when I am really seeking something from Him. I make a circle around it and I keep on asking until the miracle happens. Remember, our timing is not His so don’t lose hope! Be bold today!
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And if you don’t know this Jesus that I am speaking about, I would love for you to get to know Him today. He is a life changer for sure and You will never be the same. Would you pray this prayer with me?
Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. My life feels so out of control. I need You in my life. I believe that Jesus is Your Son and that He came to die for me so that I can spend eternity with You in Heaven. I want Jesus to come into my heart. Please walk with me through this life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
