Asking and Receiving
TRANSLATION
(1) One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” (2) And he said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Father, holy is your name. May your kingdom come. (3) Give us each day our daily bread. (4) And forgive our sins just as we forgive all who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
(5) He then said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, (6) for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’ (7) Will he from inside respond, ‘Don’t bother me, the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed so I cannot get up and give you anything?’ (8) I tell you, though he doesn’t want to get up and give him anyting, yet, because he is his friend and because of his insistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs. (9) And 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. (10) For everyone who asks will receive, and the one who seeks will find, and to the one who knocks (the door) will be opened. (11) What father among you, if his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake, (12) or, if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? (13) If you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those that ask him!”
OBSERVATIONS
The relational dimension of prayer is on display in this passage where Jesus taught his disciples how to pray to a loving heavenly Father. Repetitions again help us grasp the thrust of this segment. In the first paragraph we find three occurrences of “pray/praying” (vss. 1 & 2) and “forgive” (twice in vs. 4). In the second paragraph “friend” is found four times (in vss. 5, 6, & 8) and the verb, “give(n),” occurred five times (vss. 7, 8, 9, & 13). In two instances “give” was accompanied by the phrase, “get up…anything” (vss. 7 & 8). The words, “ask…seek/find…knock/opened,” were also repeated for emphasis (vss. 9 & 10) as was the word, “father,” (vss. 11 & 13).
OUTLINE
I. Jesus gave his disciples a model prayer to show them how they should pray. (1-4)
II. Jesus explained that in prayer we should come to God as to a loving father. (5-13)
IDEA STATEMENT
When we understand how we should pray and the character of the one who listens to our prayers, we will be encouraged to pray all the more.
APPLICATION
The men Jesus called to be his disciples soon realized that his constant communion with the Father was, like breathing, an essential part of his life. The dynamic of his ministry, the power of his teaching, the miracles of healing, everything he did, emerged from his intimacy with the Father expressed in his praying. It is no wonder that the disciples wanted to know more about this spiritual discipline.
The desire to enrich our praying should be the response of all who follow Jesus. The more we understand about him, the more we should want to pray as he prayed and experience the same kind of intimacy with the Father that he experienced while on earth. This is precisely what he wants for each of us as expressed in this passage. First, he provided us with a model prayer to show us how we should structure what we say when we approach the Father. Then by showing us that prayer is like an appeal from a friend for help in time of need or, even more, like a caring father responding to the requests of his dear children, he helped us see that we should never hesitate to approach the throne of grace with our requests.
At the very heart of this passage are the three commands, “ask…seek…knock.” Each was accompanied by strong assurances that the Father will respond positively by giving us that for which we ask, by helping us find that for which we are seeking, and by opening whatever door is closed to us. This segment closed with a reminder that God, our heavenly Father, has far more love for us than our earthly fathers could ever have. Parents know how deeply they care for their offspring. How much more compassion does our heavenly Father show to those who look to him for help and encouragement! If these words fail to spur us to pray, it is hard to imagine what would motivate us.