I've been reading in Luke lately and yesterday I was in chapter 11. Here the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray the way John taught his followers. In Luke 11:1-13 Jesus teaches them not only how to pray, but how to trust.
Luke 11:1-13 Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. 3 Give us each day the food we need, 4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.
5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. 9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Most of us have heard of the Lord's prayer. It's like a blueprint for prayer, a great starting point. We glorify God's Name, ask for His will to be done and His kingdom to be manifest. We ask for our needs to be met and for help in following Christ in forgiving others and for forgiveness ourselves, and finally for strength against sin.
After this we see Jesus teaching about being persistent in prayer. Seeking God in our need, crying out to Him for fulfillment. Prayers that don't give up at the first sign of resistance.
Then we get to the part about trust. Jesus tells us to keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. This seems to line up with the persistence part. But He goes on to tell us about how human Father's will answer their children in the best way. They will not give a snake when a child asks a fish or a scorpion when asked for an egg. And like earthly Fathers, our heavenly Father gives us only what is good for us. We need to learn to trust His answers. The implication here is that our greatest need is spiritual, as we need the Holy Spirit more than any earthly thing we can ask for.
Some times we don't hear or receive the answers we want. Doors don't open, physical needs go seemingly unmet and we don't find what we are looking for. God doesn't promises that He will give us every desire of our hearts. He knows that our hearts can be weak, selfish, mistaken, misled and easily confused about what is the best. He knows they don't see the big picture or have all the answers. But He gives that which will feed our souls. He gives that which will make us grow and flourish. The nos and waits are hard but that is where learning to trust comes in. That is what Jesus is teaching here.
God only gives good things. James 1:17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
God knows our needs. Matthew 6:8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
Do we ever stop to think that if God gave us exactly what we ask for it would be like Him giving us a scorpion? Can we understand that He sees the whole of our lives and knows what is and isn't good for us? Do we understand that if He opens a door for us that we desire it could be a door to disaster. Instead He opens the door to blessing through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
It's so hard when we don't see the answers we want, we design, to our prayers. But that is where we learn to grow in faith. When we don't get our way, and yet we allow the Holy Spirit full reign and give Him our full trust. This is a lesson that we need to be reminded of over and over again. At least I do.
Lord, I know You desire to bless and lead Your children. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the most wonderful of blessings. He prays for us when we don't know how to pray. He fills us when we are empty and leads us when we are lost. Help us to trust You in the asking and the answering. Let us not give up, but keep on seeking Your ways and Your will. We pray in the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.
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