PERSISTENCE
IN PRAYER
Luke
11:5-10
(See
also Matthew 7:7-8)
Luke
11:5-6 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go
unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a
friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before
him?
Susie: Jesus
continues teaching about prayer with an illustration of persistent prayer. In
the Jewish culture, hospitality was expected rather than rare as it is these
days. When a friend dropped by completely out of the blue in the middle of the
night, tired and hungry from traveling, one was expected to serve him a meal.
Susan: In
this illustration, the man has nothing to feed his friend who stopped by on his
journey. Therefore, he runs next door and wakes up the neighbor. How rude! However,
in that culture, the neighbor would also be expected to help him out of this
jam.
Susie: Hmm,
that makes me want jam on the bread he’s borrowing!
Luke
11:7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now
shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
Susie: Another
thing that may seem odd to us is that his children were in bed with him. This
is not literally lying next to him in bed. The houses typically had one
sleeping room with each person on his own mat. If the man got up and lit a lamp
to go get the bread, he would wake up the entire family. We can see why he
would be reluctant to disturb everyone at midnight to loan bread to his
neighbor.
Susan: In our
day and time it would be like someone ringing the doorbell and startling
everyone out of sleep mode. However, they could not just run down to the 24/7
grocery store and pick up sandwich supplies.
Luke
11:8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his
friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he
needeth.
Susan: He
would not get out of his cozy bed because of their friendship relationship but
because the man was annoying him to the nth degree. I like how the Complete Jewish Bible calls this
persistence “hutzpah.” The connotation
is tenacious, relentless, brazen boldness.
Luke
11:8 (CJB) But I tell you, even if he won’t get up because the man is his
friend, yet because of the man’s hutzpah he will get up and give him as much as
he needs.
Luke
11:8 (VOICE) You know this as well as I do: even if you didn’t care that this
fellow was your friend, if he keeps knocking long enough, you’ll get up and
give him whatever he needs simply because of his brash persistence!
Susie: Now
the shocking zinger to end this illustration of pretentious persistence is that
Jesus tells us to be persistent when we pray to God! If this sleepy man would
give in reluctantly to provide for his neighbor, then how much more will God
answer our persistent prayer? Later, we will see another illustration of this
in Luke chapter 18 with a widow before an unjust judge who eventually gives in
to her constant pleading. God answers our prayers richly.
Romans
10:12b . . . for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Luke
11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Susie: In the
original language the tense suggests to “keep on asking, keep on seeking, and
keep on knocking.” This is not a one-time request, but a continuing pursuit.
Susan: We are
to entreat God with our concerns—our physical needs, our quest for
understanding, and our desire to enter into His presence.
Luke
11:10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to
him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Susie: This
verse also has the sense of persistently asking, seeking, and knocking rather
than a one-time occurrence.
Susan: The
connotation is “Do not quit.” We are to be relentless in our pursuit of God and
relationship, intimacy with Him.
Susie: Will
God always immediately answer in the way we imagine? Of course not. Sometimes
we must wait until the time is right.
Susan: God is
rarely on our timetable, but God is always perfectly on time!
Galatians
4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of
a woman, made under the law,
2
Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Susie: Sometimes
God changes our desires to be in keeping with His will. But those who continue
in prayer with a correct attitude toward the sovereignty of God, will
ultimately receive an answer.
James
4:3 (CJB) Or you pray and don’t receive, because you pray with the wrong
motive, that of wanting to indulge your own desires.
Susie: For
some examples of persistence in prayer see:
· Genesis
32:26 – Jacob wresting with the angel of God
· Matthew
15:22-28 – Canaanite woman asks Jesus to deliver her daughter
· 2
Corinthians 12:8 – Paul entreating the Lord to remove his “thorn in the flesh”
· Colossians
4:12 – Epaphras laboring fervently in prayer
Ponder
this and Apply it: Persistent prayer is not the same as “vain
repetitions” (Matthew 6:7). Being persistent in prayer is seeking the Lord
until you are convinced He has answered. Is there something you are praying for
persistently while seeking the Lord wholeheartedly in His word? Keep on praying
because He will answer. Do not lose heart!
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