Luke 11:1-13 [show]Luke 11:1-13 The Lord's Prayer [11:1]Now Jesus(1) was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." [2]And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. [3]Give us each day our daily bread,(2) [4]and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation." [5]And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will 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]and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'? [8]I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence(3) he will rise and give him whatever he needs. [9]And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. [10]For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. [11]What father among you, if his son asks for(4) a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; [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 the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (ESV) Footnotes 1. [11:1] Greek 'he' 2. [11:3] Or 'our bread for tomorrow' 3. [11:8] Or 'persistence' 4. [11:11] Some manuscripts insert 'bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for'

You don’t remember this, but you had to be taught how to ask for what you wanted. For what seemed like forever, your parents had to interpret your non-verbal efforts to communicate. This was tiresome and frustrating, and your parents looked forward to the day when you could simply say what you want. Once this began, however, your parents found that they had created a monster! You asked constantly and loudly. Every sentence began with “I want.” So, your poor parents began the task of teaching you how to ask.

Many people see prayer as asking, and never pray except when they are asking for something. Other people question whether prayers of asking are appropriate or effective. Of course, there are many kinds of prayer. Prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of adoration, prayers of confession, for example, offer no particular difficulty for people of faith. We understand how such prayers could bring about changes within the person praying or among people praying together.

Prayers of asking, however, are in a different category and raise special questions. First, are prayers of petition and intercession appropriate, or even permissible? Second, do such prayers actually bring about changes in the real world? These questions bring up other questions. Is the will of God subject to change based on our request? Can the laws of nature, or the findings of science, be altered to honor our petitions? If God wills what is good, and is able to accomplish what is good, of what possible use are our prayers? What kind of God would allow a sick person to die were it not for our petitions? The questions are serious and daunting.

Furthermore, our own experiences with prayer may cause confusion. We have prayed for good weather and it has rained in torrents. We have prayed for health, and our condition has gotten worse. We have prayed for peace, and wars have multiplied. Such experiences may cause us to wonder if the times when we have received what we asked for were simply cases of coincidence.

At least three things need to be taken into account before petitionary prayer is simply dismissed. First, we are praying creatures. Whatever we may believe about prayer, we pray automatically, almost instinctively. When the situation becomes desperate enough, or the pain is intense enough, almost anyone will utter a petition for help. Such praying is done spontaneously, involuntarily, naturally. In a crisis, prayer wells up in us beyond our power to repress. Consider, also, that the situation does not have to be negative for us to cry out to God. At the birth of a child, a joyful parent may exclaim, “Oh, God!” These are the spontaneous cries of our creaturehood as we stand at the door of the infinite.

Second, Jesus encourages us to pray, and specifically to offer prayers of asking. All four Gospels record Jesus’ words instructing his disciples to “ask” God for what they needed. Also, in teaching his disciples to pray, Jesus told them to ask, “Give us this day our daily bread.” In Philippians 4:6 [show]Philippians 4:6 [6]do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (ESV)
, Paul writes, “Let your requests be made known to God.” The New Testament throughout, and Jesus specifically, encourage us to pray and  to ask God for what we want or need.

Third, we are not only encouraged to ask, but we are promised that we will receive. This promise is startling in its simplicity. An obvious confidence in this promise runs throughout the Bible. This was so long ago that we may wonder if the promise is still valid. Presumably it is, but within the proper context.

Remember, it was Jesus who said, “Ask, and you will receive,” not just anyone. And it was to his followers that he spoke these words. Also, Jesus and his followers had a certain understanding of God and God’s kingdom. Asking and receiving must be understood in terms of our relationship to God in Jesus Christ.

Prayer is a response. We do not speak first. The initiative is with God. God has spoken in creation, in the history of Israel, in the person of Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit. If prayer is our response, this will qualify our petitions. We will ask in terms of the relationship God has initiated. This is the significance of praying “in Jesus’ name.” This phrase is no magical incantation, as if adding this formula guarantees success. To ask in Christ’s name is to ask in the spirit of Christ. It is to ask as Jesus would ask in our place. It is to ask with something of Jesus’ insight into the nature of God and God’s ways with us. Can we ask for fame and fortune in Jesus’ name? Can we ask for the destruction of our enemies in Jesus’ name? Can we ask for exceptional privileges in Jesus’ name?

The problem in our praying is not God. God hears and answers our prayers in ways that are appropriate to the relationship we have with God in Jesus Christ. The problem is in our asking. We ask selfishly, attempting to use God. We ask superficially, seeing prayer as a way of avoiding responsibility. We ask unreasonably, unwittingly. Utter chaos would result if all our prayers were answered in the ways we want. God loves us too much to grant some of our petitions.

Perhaps the best lesson we have from Jesus on how to ask comes from Gethsemane’s garden. Bowed down in agony, he asked first for what he wanted. “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” Jesus was honest with God. We can be, too. God cares about whatever we are feeling or thinking we want. But then Jesus uttered the great qualification, the self-denying “nevertheless.” He prayed in that menacing darkness, “You have heard my plea, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.”

This is how we are to ask. With honesty and with submissiveness. With honesty to say, “O God, I cannot lie to you. Here is my heart’s desire.” With submissiveness to say, “Nevertheless, you alone are God. May your will be done.”

Prayer:  O God, may your kingdom come, may your will be done, in each of us, as it is in heaven. Amen.

C. David Matthews  /  Royal Lane Baptist Church  /  Dallas, Texas 75230  /  7.25.10