“Everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” Luke 11:10 ESV¹

Read Luke 11:5-13

If you have been around Christianity for any length of time, you are probably familiar with the Lord’s Prayer.² You may have it repeated several times with others in church services, on your own in times of need, or even at an occasional sporting event. As many times as you have heard and/or said it, you probably even have it memorized. If asked, you could probably recite it now. But are you as familiar with the parable Jesus shared with His disciples to reiterate this teaching on prayer?

You Know This Part

“Now it came to pass, as [Jesus] was praying in a certain place when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.’ So, He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one’” (Luke 11:1-4 NKJV³).

But Do You Know What Came Next?

After Jesus taught His disciples what to pray, He shared a parable that reinforced one aspect of how a follower of Christ should pray. As His disciples gathered around Jesus,

“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, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him”; 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”? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs’” (Luke 11:5-8).

Let’s Take a Moment to Talk About Friends

If you were in need, to what kind of person would you turn for help? Wouldn’t you reach out to someone who was known for offering a helping hand in difficult times? Wouldn’t you go to a person who responds to the needs of others quickly? Wouldn’t you seek out someone who is kind and willing to sacrifice his/her own comforts to assist others? Wouldn’t find a person who tries his/her best to help others, especially when the task is challenging? Wouldn’t you want the help of someone who is empathetic, non-judgmental, and respectful of others? Wouldn’t you want to go to a person who can be counted on and loves to be the reason other people smile?

That is the kind of person anyone of us would be honored to call his/her friend. And that is the type of person most of us aspire to be. “A friend loves at all times” (Proverbs 17:17a). “All times” means in the good times and the bad times, in the happy times and the sad times, through thick and thin, and ups and downs, whatever may come.

When Jesus asked, “‘Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him”; 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”?’” (Luke 11:5-7), I believe, He was being facetious.

How ridiculous it would be if someone had a need and went to a buddy who could easily meet that need yet this so-called friend blew off the one asking for help with such a wimpy excuse? Think about it; after waking up and understanding such a simple request, how hard would it have been for the friend to quietly slip out of bed, grab three loaves of bread, and give them to the pal standing at his door? Wouldn’t it be more detrimental to stall and make excuses? Wouldn’t the children invariably wake up with continued knocking? Wouldn’t they be bothered more by their parent yelling to someone outside than if he just got up and took care of the problem swiftly?

Jesus continued with, “‘I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs’” (Luke 11:8). In saying this, Jesus meant that even if one had such an unloving person who he/she called a friend, if he/she continued to knock and plead, certainly even a selfish acquaintance would get up and give to the one who kept requesting what he/she needed.

Remember, this parable was in the context of teaching about prayer. How often do we come to God with our needs—knowing He is able to meet them—but expecting Him to act as an unwilling friend. We reluctantly approach Him, hesitantly asking for the bare minimum—if we ask anything at all; sometimes we just dance around the problem and never end up praying for anything specific. But we throw in a bit of hope as if it were a magic charm, all the while doubting God will even acknowledge our presence, let alone actually come through for us. And when we don’t immediately receive that for which we barely even asked, we add fuel to the fire of our already erring belief that God can’t or won’t help.

In this parable, Jesus was teaching that His Father is not a jerk. And when our requests in prayer are not immediately met, God is not holding back His abundance that would easily cover our needs just because He doesn’t feel like getting up and acting. There is so much more going on than we realize.

A Good Father is Even Better Than a Good Friend

To reiterate what He was attempting to explain, Jesus continued with a different but equally appropriate illustration.

“‘What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish, give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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’” (Luke 11:11-13)!

Again, Jesus used exaggeration to make His point. How absurd it would be if any decent father answered his son’s request for good and nourishing food by presenting him with something that could severely injure or poison the child!

Everyone in Jesus’ presence that day would have expected a good father to be dependable and available, to consistently provide and protect his children—not intentionally harm or deprive them. A good father is compassionate and attentive to the needs of his children. He does not lie to or betray his children. He does not leave them wondering if he wants the best for them or if he will come through for them. A good father loves his children, spends time with them, listens to them, teaches them, and prepares them for their futures.

Good fathers may be tough but they are also fair. Children appreciate clearly communicated boundaries. Children don’t expect their dads to give them everything they want but they know they should be able to count on their fathers to provide the necessities of life—food, clothing, shelter, love, security—and then some. Children anticipate discipline and correction from their fathers but they also believe they will receive empathy and encouragement when it is needed. Children want to play with their fathers and work with their fathers, all the while knowing they are safe in their fathers’ presence.

Yet, Jesus called the good fathers in His audience “evil.” Because all a good father does and is doesn’t come close to what God is able and willing to provide for His children. There is a reason Jesus taught His disciples to begin their prayers by addressing God as Father. Jesus could have chosen to focus on any other aspect of God—His Holiness, His Sovereignty, His Powerfulness—but Jesus chose His Fatherhood. And there is a reason Jesus gave this illustration about a father’s interaction with his son in the context of prayer. In prayer, we are coming to Someone who loves and cares for us more than even the best earthly father ever could. Isn’t that what we all hope for when we come to God with our needs?

Then, to show how good of a Father God is, Jesus mentioned the best present the Father gives—the Holy Spirit. Though Jesus instructed His followers that they would receive the Holy Spirit upon His return to Heaven, they didn’t know how great a Gift the Holy Spirit was until they received Him. On this side of Jesus’ ascension, we need only ask and we can experience the amazing Gift of the Holy Spirit.

“His Divine Power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them [we] may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:3-4).

It All Comes Down to Faith

Out of faith, the needy friend went to another whom he felt could help. Out of faith, the hungry child went to a father who could provide. Both of the characters in Jesus’ illustrations believed the one they approached would acknowledge and respond appropriately to their need. And it is out of faith that we should approach God in prayer.

Tucked in between Jesus’ exaggerated examples of an unsympathetic friend and an antagonistic father, designed to solidly depict God as drastically different in both His compassionate and loving manner of answering prayer, He made this statement:

“‘I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10).

Jesus didn’t say, “Ask, and it might be given to you; seek, and maybe you will find; knock, but don’t count on someone hearing and answering the door.” No, He declared, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” And Jesus didn’t teach, “Only the special people who ask receive, and only certain people who seek will find, and particular people who knock will have the door opened to them.” Jesus said, “Everyone who asks, seeks, and knocks will receive, find, or have an opened door!”

Why then, when it comes to prayer, do we many times expect that if we ask, we have no guarantee of receiving, if we seek, we may not end up finding anything, and if we knock, there is a good chance we will get doors slammed in our faces? That is not at all what the Bible teaches!

The number one ingredient for answered prayer is faith.

“Without faith, it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

“Jesus [taught], ‘Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours’” (Mark 11:22-24).

“[Again,] Jesus answered …, ‘Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree [which had shriveled on Jesus’ command], but even if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea,” it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith’” (Matthew 21:21-22).

All it takes is a little bit of faith to have unimaginable prayers answered.

“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a grain of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and be planted in the sea”; and it would obey you’” (Luke 17:5-6).

And all it takes is a little bit of doubt to have the complete opposite result.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5-8).

So, Let’s Do Some Asking

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the Throne of Grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Again and again, Jesus encouraged His followers to ask.

“‘Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you. … Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full’” (John 16:23b & 24b).

“‘Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it’” (John 14:13-14).

“‘If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples’” (John 15:7-8).

“‘Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in Heaven’” (Matthew 18:19).

The negative feelings one may have concerning God’s response to prayer may stem from the fact that he/she hasn’t really asked God for anything. Other times, people ask for plenty but they don’t receive it because they ask incorrectly. Jesus taught that answered prayers are the ones that are asked in His name. If you have asked and yet have not received it, evaluate your request. Did you ask for something to which Jesus could sign His name?

Jesus also gave another condition for answered prayer—one must abide in Him. When one abides with Jesus, he/she stays connected to Jesus, does not leave Him, but holds on to Him. If one is that close to Jesus, he/she will see things from Jesus’ perspective, will want what Jesus wants, and will ask accordingly. Look again at John 15:8; notice what is important to Jesus and, therefore, the one who abides with Him—producing much fruit to the glory of the Father. Are your prayers filled with God-honoring and disciple-making requests? If so, those prayers can’t help but be answered in the affirmative.

“‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all [the necessities of life] will be added to you’” (Matthew 6:33).

“Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

“And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

If you are thinking that God is an egomaniac just answering the prayers that agree with His agenda, you are missing the point. Remember, God is a Good Father; He seeks the best interest of His children. The reason He promises to answer the prayers that are in accordance with His will is that those things are what is best for everyone.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart’” (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

A third thing to which Jesus pointed for answered prayer was agreement. If two children were fighting between themselves, each pleading for something different to the determent of the other, how likely would an earthly father grant either of their requests? God is not all that different. He delights to provide for His children but He is not bound to give them what they want just because they asked. He will wait until His children come to Him in agreement about what is on their hearts before He will provide what is asked. How well are you doing in agreeing with other children of God?

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:1-3).

God is Willing and Able

Over and over, the Scriptures proclaim that our Loving and All-Powerful God answers prayer:

“‘Nothing will be impossible with God’” (Luke 1:37).

“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:31b-32)?

“The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry … When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all … The LORD redeems the life of His servants; none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned” (Psalm 34:15, 17-19 & 22).

“‘Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me’” (Psalm 50:15).

“‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known’” (Jeremiah 33:3).

The truth is Jesus is a Compassionate Friend, and God the Father is a Loving Father. If it doesn’t feel like God is very benevolent concerning your prayers right now, the problem is not with God. Maybe, you aren’t really praying. Perhaps, the things for which you are asking are not God-honoring. Or possibly, your prayers may be filled with more doubt than faith.

There are other reasons it may seem as if God is ignoring your requests. I don’t have room in this article to address all of those reasons. Please look for more insights on prayer in my next blog posts in this mini-series.

Read those articles by clicking on these two links:

Proper Persistence | Blue Turtle Trails

Approaching the Throne of God | Blue Turtle Trails

In addition, you may be blessed by listening to these songs: “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” by Joseph M. Scriven and Charles C. Converse at: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=what+a+friend+we+have+in+jesus+lyrics+and+music&&view=detail&mid=F6F65A02EEA323434224F6F65A02EEA323434224&rvsmid=F80A323401BF40464E26F80A323401BF40464E26&FORM=VDQVAP

and “Good, Good Father” by Chris Tomlin and Pat Barrett at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grFuhwZMajU

 

¹Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.

² To read my commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, click here: https://blueturtletrails.com/model-for-prayer/

³ Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the Holy Bible, New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.