14. Graduating to God’s Motives
14
Graduating to God’s Motives
College Level: “We Must Pray as Children Coming to a Generous Father” (Luke 11:5–12)
Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
“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. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?”
The usual interpretation of this parable is that we must be persistent in our praying and keep pounding on the door until God wakes up and decides to give us what we want. But prayer isn’t based on friendship or neighborliness; it’s based on our family relationship as sons and daughters of God. The parable doesn’t compare the Father with this surly neighbor; it contrasts the Father with the neighbor.
Our Lord’s argument is, “If a weary neighbor who has finally quieted his children will ultimately get out of bed and meet his friend’s needs, how much more will a loving heavenly Father meet the needs of His own dear children?”
We find the same approach in the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1–8. If a selfish and crooked judge finally assists a helpless widow, how much more will our loving Father help us when we call upon Him? Our heavenly Father never slumbers or sleeps, and His loving heart is always alert to our needs and our cries. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7).
The word audacity in Luke 11:8 (some versions read persistence) means “shamelessness” and refers to the neighbor’s desire to keep up his reputation in the community. If he did not help provide food for a guest in the village, he would violate the basic law of the East, the law of hospitality, and he would lose face before his friends and relatives.
The New Living Bible reads, “He will get up and give you what you want so his reputation won’t be damaged.”
This takes us back to Matthew 6:9, “hallowed be your name.” God answers prayer for the glory of His name. And He doesn’t lend us what we need, expecting us to pay Him back. He gives and gives and keeps on giving, just like a loving and generous father. If we pray for something out of God’s will, He certainly won’t give us what we want, but He will give us what we need, which is far better.
But the parable says something else too: don’t pray only when you have midnight emergencies, but keep asking the Father for your daily needs. In other words, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). The verb tenses in Luke 11:9 (NLT) are important: “Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking.” “Asking” refers to the Father’s wealth, “seeking” to the Father’s will, and “knocking” to the Father’s work. (In Scripture, an open door often refers to opportunity for service. See Acts 14:27; 1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col. 4:3; and Rev. 3:8.) We have every right to ask for the Father’s wealth if we obey the Father’s will and do the Father’s work. The Prodigal Son wanted his father’s wealth but not his will or his work (Luke 15:11–13).
Prayer isn’t bothering God, bargaining with God, borrowing from God, or burdening God. True prayer is blessing the Father because we love Him, trust Him, and know that He will meet our needs, so we come and ask. The love in our hearts responds to the love in His heart, and we know that the answers He will give are exactly what we need. We never have to fear any answer to prayer, for the answer comes from the loving heart of the Father.
If we ask for bread or an egg, He won’t give us a snake or a scorpion. The Father always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him. Our problem is that we’re prone to ask for snakes that we think are bread or scorpions that we think are eggs. It’s a mark of maturity when you’ve lived long enough to be thankful for unanswered prayer.