Then He said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and from inside he answers and says, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed ; I cannot get up and give you anything.' "I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. "So I say to 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 he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? "Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"
Luke 11:5-13
I have had a hard time with this text in the past. Doesn't it seem weird to anyone that God wants us to be so persistent in asking Him for things that we begin to annoy Him? The Word of God even specifies that it's not because the guy was his friend that he got up and gave his bread, but because of the incessant knocking. He was persistent. "It conveys the ideas of urgency, audacity, earnestness, boldness, and relentlessness--like the persistent asking of a relentless beggar" (MacArthur). But, there it is. Plain and simple in the text. When you want something, ask for it... a lot.
I recently saw the kind hand of our loving Father who loves to give good gifts to his children. I have been wanting a DSLR camera. Since I have the most adorable child with the bluest of eyes who makes the most fantastic faces, I want a camera that will at least do the kid some justice. I looked at the Canon Rebel and thought it seemed reasonable but when I started adding it up it was going to be close to $800 for everything I would need. In light of the fact that our money is not our own but belongs to the Lord, I didn't feel like it would be a faithful way to be a steward of God's money. I started praying that God would give me a camera. Weird? Maybe. But, in light of Luke 11, I think it was appropriate! If God wants to give me a camera, He can do that. And if He doesn't want to, then I don't need it. Well, I wouldn't be writing this post if there wasn't an answer to my prayer. After months of praying and entering contests on the Pioneer Woman's blog, I get an email from Chris' aunt saying that they are going to buy a new camera and wanted to know if I would like to have their old Canon Rebel. Yes, really. What a kind Father we have who wants to give good gifts to His children (being evil as we are).
Answered prayer is a great motivator to keep praying.
