Praying "big prayers"

Luke 11:5-13 (NIV)

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…..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. “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? ……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!”

When you think of who your true friends really are, think about whom would you go to if you had a need in the middle of the night?  Who would you call or knock on their door?  And how would you react if you were awakened in the middle of the night by someone who had a need, especially a need requiring you to get up and do something for them?  Who considers you such a friend?

What two words from these two parables catch your eye the most?  I say, “shameless audacity” of 11:8.  Jesus used the word “anadeia” to describe a boldness that persists over time.  Most translations interpret “anadeia” as “persistence”, but the NIV interprets it as “shameless audacity” and the NLT interprets it as “shameless persistence”.   The man making the request of his neighbor late at night is exhibiting shameless persistence or audacity.  Yet Jesus is using this story to illustrate how we should pray to God---with shameless audacity!

Shameless audacity or persistence, according to Jesus, means to keep praying for God to answer your prayer need(s).  The man who went to his neighbor’s place at midnight needed food for a friend, a legitimate need, not a “want”.  You must discern in your prayer life what you really need versus what you want and with shameless audacity and persistence pray for it. 

The main point of Jesus’ parables here is to be bold when you pray to God for your needs.  The requests for a fish or an egg are needs and God provides those needs.  He is not going to ignore your requests as long as you pray for them, but so many people don’t bother to pray for their basic needs.  Also, God answers prayers in ways that people often don’t expect.  A “no” answer today, e.g. not receiving a job offer you really wanted (note the verb), will become a “yes” answer later that is something even better for you.  The death of a loved one that you so desperately prayed to survive will result in new opportunities for you to do good deeds in the memory of that loved one that would have never happened otherwise.

You need to pray “big prayers”, prayers that will result in “big things” happening in your life and others.  Most of our prayers are for minutia (help me do this or that today) that they have no lasting impact on anyone.  Jesus says to “ask”…..”seek”…..”knock”.  His words really mean “keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking” where such relentless, persistent, bold, and “shameless audacious” praying will get results (you will receive, you will find, the door will be opened).  It is only the “big prayers” that require persistence in asking and seeking and knocking.  What “big prayers” are you praying for?     

There’s always the question when our prayers are not answered----was it not within God’s will or did we not pray persistently enough?  Why didn’t you get that job you prayed about?  Why did you pray for safety while traveling yet still had car trouble or missed a connecting flight?  Why did you pray for reconciliation with a spouse or a friend only to see the relationship get worse?  Why did your child(ren) not become Christians after you prayed so much that they would?  Why did you pray for healing only to see your loved one die anyway?   BUT, notice what Jesus is emphasizing here.  He is not emphasizing that whatever you pray for persistently, you will receive answers, but He is emphasizing that what the Father give those who ask is the Holy Spirit.  It is from the Holy Spirit that you receive His gifts and His fruit.  His Holy Spirit will enable you to understand the reasons for His answers, especially if they are “no” or ‘wait”.  His Holy Spirit gives you the faith to carry on no matter the circumstances.  His Holy Spirit is the best answer God gives you because the Holy Spirit is your source of love, joy, peace, and all other attributes of the character of God.

What are your “big prayers” today?  Are you filled with God’s Holy Spirit as you pray?  What is Jesus really teaching you about prayer in this passage?  Would you agree with the view that “prayer changes the person praying more than it changes the circumstances about which the person is praying”?