True Identity Ministries Blog

Luke 11:1-4

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 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“ ‘Father,hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’ ”

So often these verses are used to teach on prayer. The disciples had just asked Jesus to teach them how to pray in this passage of Luke. What I want you to see is that verse 4 isn’t where Jesus stops his teaching on prayer. He continues on here in Luke 11. It's the following verses that I feel like give us the best insight into the type of prayer God is looking for from us.


Read Luke 11:5-13
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, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’
7 “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.’ 8 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.
9 “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. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus uses this parable to continue answering the disciples question regarding how they should pray. There are a few things we need to understand to be able to really get this parable. This man shows up at his neighbors house in the middle of the night asking to borrow some bread simply because he had an unexpected guest at his own home. In this culture when you had guests show up you needed to have something to feed them. Hospitality was the basic law in the East at this time especially if the guest was a stranger. If a person refused to entertain a guest, he brought disgrace on the whole village and the neighbors would have nothing to do with him. The man in the house knew this and did not want to embarrass himself, his family, or his village; so he got up and went to his neighbor to help meet this need for food. He had to make a choice to either be a poor host or a poor neighbor and the choice was easy to make, he chose to be a poor neighbor.

As he visits his neighbor to find food, the neighbor refuses to get up. The whole family would have been sleeping all together in the same room. So getting up would be sure to cause a disturbance among the whole household.

Look again at Luke 11:8
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.

In other versions you will see the word persistence or my favorite…importunity. Scripture tells us that the man does finally get up and give the bread not because he wanted to be nice but because of the importunity that his neighbor showed. That word importunity is the word anaídeia; and it means: impudent, without shame; Recklessness, audacity, shamelessness, insolence or persistance; Recklessness or disregard of consideration by the one making the request. It’s only found here in the New Testament and it’s a very strong word. It’s the idea that you know that who you are asking has what you need and you are not giving up until you get it. You have no shame in making it known that you have a need and you have boldness in asking for it.

The argument Jesus is making here is if the reluctant friend would finally give in and get up, how much more will a loving father answer the door when we come knocking. How much more would that shameless persistence bring blessing as we pray and seek God. Remember Jesus is telling us that we should pray with importunity, with persistence, with boldness, with shamelessness. Acknowledge that we have a need and that we are quite sure God can meet it. God reminds us all throughout scripture that he is the creator and owner of all things. He is not like this neighbor, for He never sleeps, never gets impatient or irritable, is always generous, and delights in meeting the needs of His children.

Why does our Father in heaven answer prayer? Not just to meet the needs of His children, but to meet them in such a way that it brings glory to His name. “Hallowed be Thy name.” When God’s people pray, God’s reputation is at stake. The way He takes care of His children is a witness to the world that He can be trusted. Phillips Brooks said that prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance; it is laying hold of His highest willingness. Persistence in prayer is not an attempt to change God’s mind (“Thy will be done”) but to get ourselves to the place where He can trust us with the answer.

Let's pray today with a little...no ALOT of importunity and recklessness!

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xoxo,
Justeina