A Prayer for the Weary & the Wary
11:1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." 11:2 So he said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father, may your name be honored;
may your kingdom come.
11:3 Give us each day our daily bread,
11:4 and forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And do not lead us into temptation."
11:5 Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 11:6 because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.' 11:7 Then he will reply from inside, 'Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything.' 11:8 I tell you, even though the man inside will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man's sheer persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
11:9 "So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 11:10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11:11 What Father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 11:12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 11:13 If you then, although you 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!"
Wrestling with a passage like this is important for us. It drives us into the expanse between our experience and our belief. I think most would say they aren't satisfied with their prayer life. Most would confess that prayer seems difficult and cumbersome. The added insult to injury comes in the rarity we seem to see God give us what we ask for when we ask for it. Among these legitimate obstacles, Jesus offers encouragement to the weary and the wary, those tempted to give up on prayer.
Jesus' parables that seem to highlight the chasm between our experience and our belief instead bridge that gap if we will take the time to listen. In these parables, Jesus offers more than just an example of prayer. He illustrates how and why to pray.
A prayer for the weary:
Our first object lesson has us considering a friend bugging their neighbor until the neighbor yields, giving the friend all they need.
Maybe this is stating the obvious, but I think the point of the first parable is worth making: a prayer like this begins in a place of need. No one goes to their neighbor's door in the middle of the night for help unless they need it. This assumes that there is a need they cannot fulfill themselves. In the case of the neighbor, they had no bread and needed some from one who did. The audacious nature of the request comes from a place of lack, a place of compulsion. The neighbor must ask, they have no other choice but to ask. Their need is so great and so urgent that all mores and self considerations are cast to the side.
But a prayer like this also comes from a place of faith. After all, the neighbor believes their friend may have bread to give. Otherwise, why ask them? There is some discussion about whether the best translation of the mans actions in verse 8 should be impudence (shamelessly, or audaciously) or persistence. Either understanding fits Jesus' point, in need, we go to the one we believe can best provide for us.
And our encouragement then is this, the very thing that brings doubts into our minds regarding this particular parable, I have yet to receive what I need, is precisely the thing that ought to drive us towards prayer rather than away from it. The alternative is to find our need met somewhere else. But we know the end of that story, so we continue knocking, weary as we are, in faith that our need will be met.
Pray this:
Helper of the needy, I am in need.
Provider of all things, I lack.
Bread of life, I am famished.
Prayer for the Wary:
The second object lesson uses our relationships as a foil, pointing towards the character of the one to whom we pray. Jesus kindly reminds us in this moment of question and doubt that God is good and wants to give good things to His children. This parable too, ought to encourage us towards prayer rather than dissuading us against it. Perhaps we struggle to believe this. Perhaps we should pray to see if it is, in fact, right? We should take the step and pray, not to see if God will give us all we ask for, but to see if God is, in fact, good and filled with love for us.
Having encouraged us to ask, seek, and knock, Jesus offers the parable. He holds each of us up against God and measures. In this moment, we are confronted with the reality that the God of our fears is not the God of Jesus. The distant, angry, withholding diety we hope that God isn't but often fear He is, is not the Father of love and provision Jesus describes. Jesus lovingly shows us what we all already know to be true, that if anyone cares for someone, they do not answer their request with evil, cruel trickery, or violence. Perhaps we fear that God will, or worse yet already has. This parable cuts deep as it reveals in us a fractured distrust of who God really is. How often does that fear drive us away from the God of love rather than to Him?
Pray this:
Father of light, fill my soul with your light.
Source of all goodness and delight, delight me.
Healer, mend my broken heart.
Notice Jesus does not teach that God gives us everything we ask. The promise is not that every good father gives their child what they ask. No instead, he affirms God gives all we need when we ask and does not return our requests with evil. In fact, God gives us exceedingly more than we need. God provides us God's very Spirit. More than solutions to our problems and needs, prayer gives us God's self. In place of the gifts we may want or even need, the Father gives Himself, our deepest need, whether we believe it or not. Above all our other needs, the presence of God, active and transformative as it is, is far more pertinent and beneficial to us than anything else we can ask.
We believe that God, better than the best of us will give us what we need. Our faith is not misplaced.
Now Pray this:
Give me the faith to trust you.
Give me a full sense of your love.
Give me you, I want to delight in your presence.
Answer me Lord.
Live into this today:
How does Jesus encouragement strike you today? What particularly did you need to hear from Him?
Take a moment in prayer. Come to Jesus and ask Him to help you pray more, to need constant connection and communion with Him throughout the day. Ask Jesus to change your heart so that you run to Him above all other avenues that you believe could address your needs. Confess any fears or doubts you have about Him and ask for strength, courage, faith, and grace. Know that Jesus loves and cares for you and longs for you to rest in the presence of the Father.
What are one or two ways you can practically begin to pray more? Perhaps set an alarm on your phone, or make sure you do it every time you eat or drive? Begin to create some real tangible ways to incorporate more prayer into your daily routines.
Pray back through the guided prayers above. Spend time, slow down, and reflectively and slowly come into the presence of God.
