Pray without ceasing
| Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' "Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Luke11:5-10) |
In the parable Jesus tells his disciples of a man who went to his friend at midnight and asked him to lend him three loaves of bread because the man had a visitor. One would be tempted to feel that the timing was awkward for the man to knock at his friend's door at midnight. However, during Jesus's time hospitality was an important aspect and the man had to provide for his guest. Interestingly the man does not have enough to feed his visitor and has a need, hence he had to approach his friend. The parable teaches that we have needs as people and that we need to approach God to present our requests to Him. What happens after we have presented our requests to God? Do we give up when He does not answer at first ask?
However I will focus more on verse 9 because this is where Jesus teaches us what to do when we have presented our requests to God. In verse 9 Jesus dwells more on the theme of praying without ceasing. The three verbs in that verse, ask, seek, and knock are in present tense which signals repeated action. We must show persistence if we do not receive the answer immediately. It is not that God is unwilling and must be pressed into answering. The whole context makes it clear that he is eager to give.
Jesus is teaching us the right attitude that is needed in prayer: persistence, praying without ceasing. In a world that is now dominated by instant things and quick returns, persistence is a difficult concept for many. People expect quick answers from God for their prayers and would want to get what they need at first ask. Today's text give encourages us that when we bring our requests to God, we need to keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking and He will arise and answer our prayers.
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Tatenda Garande, married to Juliet, Father to Kyle and Kylie. Serving at Trinity Gweru in Zimbabwe.
