This Sunday (May 11) I am speaking on Luke 11:1-13.
Please write a sentence or two of what You hear God saying in this passage?
trying to find His way
Please write a sentence or two of what You hear God saying in this passage?
How much more?!? This passage is a great reminder of God as the perfect parent. My heart breaks when my son has to learn a hard lesson. I want to give him everything in the world. I know the desires of his heart, and surprise him from time to time just because. The thing that pops out at me in this passage isnt “how much more will your father give you whatever you want?”… It’s about something specific… The Holy Spirit. How often do I ask God for the Holy Spirit? If I am honest… I am more likely to ask for God to just fix stuff. I sense God urging me to ask for, and rest in, the presence of His Holy Spirit.
I have often wondered about the inclusion of the story of the guy who wouldn’t help his friend until he was badgered into helping. Is this a story of our relationship with God? Are we to ask until God gives in? Will God only help those who ask loudly, a kind of squeaky wheel effect? If this is not the message of these verses what is? Is it perhaps just that we are to be consistently ask? Ask without giving up? Perhaps these verses are more about our asking than it is about the person giving.
Everyone who asks will receive, one who seeks will find, and the one who knocks the door will be opened. This makes me want to never give up, to continue to ask, seek and knock. Being an impatient kind of guy, I want to receive seek and have doors opened faster.
Being a father, I really like the last section about giving good gifts to your children. I, like any parent, wants the best for their children. God wants to give us good gifts as well. The good gift God mentions here is the Holy Spirit. God wants to give the Holy Spirit to us. This last line could be a whole sermon in itself. What does this mean? There is a lot of different ideas as to what the gift of the Holy Spirit is. I think that ultimately this is God’s presence with us today. It is God in my life.
To be honest I’m really not sure what God is saying to me here. Maybe it really is as simple as to the importance of prayer. Praying sometimes feels silly to me, but I am often overwhelmed by how significant it really is. I think that when it says “ask and you shall receive” it is truth, but it’s important not to confuse it with asking for things at your own convenience, but constantly maintaining relationship with God. So often we maintain prayer when we “really need God” but every day we need to talk to him, and it’s as simple as the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus doesn’t need us to be fancy or impress him, but simply to communicate with him daily.