Petite | Keep asking

“I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you” – Luke 11: 9 (WEB)

Pexels.com

In Luke 11:1-13, there are two main themes: how to pray and the fatherhood of God. They are brought together and are not separate. It is interesting that Luke writes more about Jesus’ prayers than any other Gospel author. Luke records nine times when Jesus prayed. Of these nine, seven are unique to Luke’s gospel. Jesus was constantly praying to his Father for direction. Prayer is just as important for every follower than it was for Jesus himself.

In Luke 11: 5-8 we read a homely parable about a persistent friend.  Here Jesus teaches that it is never a waste of time to ask God for what we need. If we can ask a reluctant friend, how much more can we depend and trust on our caring Father. Jesus emphasized that we should always pray and not lose heart.  In this parable He illustrated the necessity of persistence and boldness in prayer, as well as shamelessness and importunity.

An importunate person is one who persists in asking for something to the point of being troublesome. Jesus’ illustration of importunity in this parable actually shows a mindset change in prayer. Many people think that importunity in prayer is not necessary. However, Jesus teaches us that our prayers need to be persistent and to the point of importunity. Importunity shows faith and absolute dependence on God. In the Holy Bible, there are various examples of importunity in prayer. The ones that stand out for me is that of Hannah (1 Sam 1:10-12) and Daniel (Dan 9:4-19).

Jesus is our model in prayer. He also teaches us how to pray in Luke 11:2-4. We can also learn from Jesus Christ regarding when He prayed. He chose the early morning hour for prayer (Mark 1:35). Maybe our minds are still free from distraction during this time. Distraction is a huge part of our modern world. It’s almost impossible not to be distracted by sounds, technology, problems etc. So it takes extra effort to find time when distraction is less. But Jesus also prayed at night. He even spent a whole night in prayer (Luke 6:12). Jesus Christ also prayed before all the crises during His earthly life.

Jesus Christ gave extra time to prayer even during very busy times (Luke 5: 15-16). This is an important lesson to take from Jesus’ life: He always took time to pray, no matter how busy He was. Let us not forget Jesus’ example: the more we are pressured by the world, work or life, the more time we need to spend in prayer. This is easier said than done. But in order to achieve this, it must be a focus and goal for us to get rid of unnecessary distractions and focus on Him.

We need to be bold in prayer like the persistent friend in the parable. The Lord knows exactly what we need and when to give it to us. Let us keep asking, seeking, and knocking.

Reflection on Luke 11:1-13 by Hanne Teach

(Listen to podcast here).