He begins by sharing what we know as “the
Lord’s Prayer” which most of us are quite familiar with, but then Jesus
continues with this:
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.’
Luke 11:5-7
Sometimes in our intercession we encounter difficulties
such as obstacles or silence in God answering. It’s as if
He is saying, “Sorry, you’re on your own, can’t help you right now.” It isn’t easy to continue to trust that He
hears and that He cares during that time of silence or apparent refusal to
answer.
But God urges us to persevere:
“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 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
God knows how to give “good gifts” to His
children. Sometimes part of the gift IS
the waiting! Seems strange, but think
about it... Can you imagine what it would
be like if we went before God, asked what we wanted, got it, and went on our
way? We would never grow in our
spiritual life, or fully understand the relationship we have with God.
Just like in education when a child grasps a lesson
and it becomes easy, the student advances to the next level to continue to
develop the mind and achieve a higher understanding. God allows difficulty and silence so we can learn
and discover our weakness, causing us to commit our spirit to Christ and to
crucify our will. Then we receive newness of life, a further understanding and deeper relationship with our
Father.
Think about our example in Jesus of how to pray.
And being
in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood
falling to the ground. Luke 22:44
Alone in the coolness of the night and the glow of
the moon, at the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was sweating, persevering in prayer.
And in His final moments on the cross, Jesus calls
out His last prayer, “Father, into your
hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke
23:46)
Through His trials and difficulty, His will was crucified
and death was overcome!
Tuck Me
In
Lord, tuck me in, this world is cold.
Darkness has come.
The silent moon floats in the sky,
Casting deep shadows that reach for my heart.
I lie here, unprotected.
The chill of the air the only blanket for my soul.
I curl my shivering body tight,
As I wait for You, in the silence.
Father,
thank you for your gifts! Thank you for
the difficulties that cause me to persevere in prayer. Thank you for your silence that allow me to
appreciate your good gifts. Thank you
for teaching us, your disciples, how to pray. Thank you for your gift of grace
that was given through the intense trial and difficulty of the cross. In Jesus Name, Amen
- Sue Parrott
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