Today, in Luke 11, Jesus promises to give us whatever we want. So, what do you want? What are you asking him for? What? What did you say? Did you say that that’s not really what Jesus meant? I did. In fact, I’ve been contemplating this scripture and come to the conclusion that I am wrong. My doubt is not a product of God’s failure to perform, but the result of my failure to complete the task. Let me explain.
Think of something you have prayed for, but not gotten. Don’t filter it. What did you pray for? Was it money? Maybe love? Health? Now, consider Jesus’ teaching about prayer. First, he tells us to ask. This is the simplest part. But, we must be clear. If you want health, what is that exactly? Whatever it is, Jesus promises in verse 9 to ask, and “it shall be given.”
That’s too easy, right? Maybe. Jesus does provide us with another step to get what we want. He says that we need to seek. This is altogether different than asking. Seeking is active. Have you ever lost your wallet? I bet you “seeked” all over the house until you found it! Unfortunately, many of us are good at asking, but lousy at seeking. For those that are willing to learn, however, Jesus promises that if we seek, “we will find.”
So maybe you asked, and were even diligent in searching, but still, you got no answer. I wonder, did you knock? I like the way Google defines it. To knock is to strike something noisily to attract attention. Hmmm….that’s a little more aggressive. But that’s not all. According to Jesus, it’s the “impudent” knocking that gets results. Read back through verses 5-8. Jesus describes a man being rewarded for his impudence. That trait is depicted as cocky, contemptuous, and disregarding others.
As I consider these activities, it becomes more clear to me why God does not always answer my prayers. Worse yet, I see how my previous failures have fostered doubt about who God is and what he wants for me.
Today, in Luke 11, Jesus promises to give us whatever we want. So, what do you want? What are you asking him for? What? What did you say? Did you say that that’s not really what Jesus meant? I did. In fact, Ive been contemplating this scripture and come to the conclusion that I am wrong. My doubt is not a product of God’s failure to perform, but the result of my failure to complete the task. Let me explain.
Think of something you have prayed for, but not gotten. Don’t filter it. What did you pray for? Was it money? Maybe love? Health? Now, consider Jesus teaching about prayer. First, he tells us to ask. This is the simplest part. But, we must be clear. If you want health, what is that exactly? Whatever it is, Jesus promises in verse 9 to ask and “it shall be given.”
OK, maybe that’s too easy. Jesus does provide us with another step to get what we want. He says that we need to seek. This is altogether different than asking. Seeking is active. Have you ever lost your wallet? I bet you “seeked” all over the house until you found it! Unfortunately, many of us are good at asking, but lousy at seeking. For those that are willing to learn, however, Jesus promises that if we seek, “we will find.”
So maybe you asked, and were even diligent in searching, but still you got no answer. I wonder, did you knock? I like the way Google defines it. To knock is to strike something noisily to attract attention. Hmmm….that’s a little more aggressive, but, according to Jesus, it’s not enough. In verses 5-8, he describes a man being rewarded for his impudence. That trait is depicted as cocky, contemptuous, and disregarding others.
Believers ought not to be discouraged, if they do not immediately obtain their desires, or if they find them difficult to be obtained: for if, among men, importunity of asking extorts what a person would not willingly do, we have no reason to doubt that God will listen to us, if we persevere constantly in prayer, and if our minds do not slacken through difficulty or delay. ~ John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries