Word@Work Luke180 - Luke 11:9-10
Published: Tue, 08/31/10
Word@Work from BeaconLight
PRAYING FOR AN ANSWER
Luke 11:9-10 "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; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (NIV)
What a promise! The prospect of every prayer being answered should surely encourage us to talk to Father God more often and with increased expectation. But that is not everybody's experience, so what have we not understood? Firstly, this promise is in the context of the Lord's Prayer where the honour of God, and His will, come before personal requests. In other words, God responds to the prayers of those who want His glory to be the highest outcome of their relationship with Him.
Secondly, the instruction is given in a present-continuous tense: hence, 'keep on asking', 'persist in seeking' and 'continue to knock'. Faithful prayer will not give up before the answer arrives, because those who trust the Lord and honour Him will also respect His right to act in His own good time. Willingness to wait is a true mark of confidence in any relationship and especially so with God. The answer will come, but Jesus does not guarantee when. Thirdly, Jesus is not only promising this to the disciples, but to everybody, including us today.
It should be wonderfully reassuring to know that God will hear and answer prayer. But this is not a recipe for just getting what we want: the Lord's desire is for us to grow in relationship with Him so that He can give us what will glorify Him, as well as meet our needs and answer our concerns. So, as in the Lord's Prayer, honour Him more than anything you are praying for; then be bold to ask and persistent to keep on asking. Remember that the Lord will only do what is right at the right time, and His answers can be "No" or "Wait" as well as "Yes".
Prayer: Gracious God. Thank You for being willing to hear and answer my prayers. But I confess that sometimes I pray without thinking about Your glory or desiring Your will to be done, seeking to impose my timetable on Your purposes. Please forgive my selfishness and impatience, and my frustration when You don't answer according to my demands. Thank You for today's reminder that You want to answer my prayers, and to strengthen my faith as You reveal Your kindness and power, because You are my loving Heavenly Father. Help me to align my heart to Your will and renew my confidence in Your love for me. Dear Lord, teach me to pray boldly for Your glory's sake and that I might enlarge my joy of being Your child. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
What a promise! The prospect of every prayer being answered should surely encourage us to talk to Father God more often and with increased expectation. But that is not everybody's experience, so what have we not understood? Firstly, this promise is in the context of the Lord's Prayer where the honour of God, and His will, come before personal requests. In other words, God responds to the prayers of those who want His glory to be the highest outcome of their relationship with Him.
Secondly, the instruction is given in a present-continuous tense: hence, 'keep on asking', 'persist in seeking' and 'continue to knock'. Faithful prayer will not give up before the answer arrives, because those who trust the Lord and honour Him will also respect His right to act in His own good time. Willingness to wait is a true mark of confidence in any relationship and especially so with God. The answer will come, but Jesus does not guarantee when. Thirdly, Jesus is not only promising this to the disciples, but to everybody, including us today.
It should be wonderfully reassuring to know that God will hear and answer prayer. But this is not a recipe for just getting what we want: the Lord's desire is for us to grow in relationship with Him so that He can give us what will glorify Him, as well as meet our needs and answer our concerns. So, as in the Lord's Prayer, honour Him more than anything you are praying for; then be bold to ask and persistent to keep on asking. Remember that the Lord will only do what is right at the right time, and His answers can be "No" or "Wait" as well as "Yes".
Prayer: Gracious God. Thank You for being willing to hear and answer my prayers. But I confess that sometimes I pray without thinking about Your glory or desiring Your will to be done, seeking to impose my timetable on Your purposes. Please forgive my selfishness and impatience, and my frustration when You don't answer according to my demands. Thank You for today's reminder that You want to answer my prayers, and to strengthen my faith as You reveal Your kindness and power, because You are my loving Heavenly Father. Help me to align my heart to Your will and renew my confidence in Your love for me. Dear Lord, teach me to pray boldly for Your glory's sake and that I might enlarge my joy of being Your child. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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