CONNECTING POINT: Pesky Prayers

The subject of prayer has been discussed and debated for decades. Rather than wading too deep into that minefield, I’m more interested in focusing on Jesus’s teaching on prayer. His authority and perspective matter most. When reading and interpreting Scripture, staying within the context is imperative; twisting Christ’s words happens far too often.

Let me give you a prime example, "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.” (Luke 11:9-10). Did Jesus intend to say that we can ask for anything in His name and, by golly, we will receive it? Not at all! Be wary of those voices out there beating that drum.

First, Jesus shared a model prayer found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11; Luke’s account is the short and condensed version of what we refer to as the Lord’s Prayer.  We should sincerely model our prayers, focused on respect and awe of our Heavenly Father, who cares for us deeply. Father in Greek is pater, and the more familiar word abba in Hebrew, which in English refers to “daddy”. Was Jesus suggesting that we view God as our “sugar daddy,” providing us with every whim and want our heart desires? Certainly not; acting in this manner is disrespectful.

Second, Jesus included a parable about the persistent neighbor to help listeners better understand God’s great love for us. “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.” (Luke 11:5-8). The concept of hospitality keeps rising to the surface in Luke’s account, Jewish culture embraced generosity of this kind. Was Jesus suggesting that if we annoy God enough with our pesky, ever-wanting prayers, we will receive exactly what we ask for? No! The principle is to be persistent in prayer with an understanding that God will meet our needs in His timing and His way.

Third, Jesus pointedly describes what’s needed most. Follow the context, “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 he give him a scorpion? 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!” (Luke 11:9-13). Per the words of Jesus, what’s needed most is a specific gift from God: The Holy Spirit. Although substance, housing, and care are necessary for life, our Heavenly Father gives anyone who calls on the name of Jesus to be saved the Holy Spirit as our comforter. So, we should steer away from self-centered prayers to embracing the Holy Spirit.