Lent Reading: Week 2, Day 1 (March 18)

Reading: Luke 11:1-13

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

² He said to them, “When you pray, say:

⁵ 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; ⁶ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ ⁷ 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.’ ⁸ 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.

⁹ “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.¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ 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!”

Focus Verse: "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!” (verse 13)

Reflection

I need to hear Jesus' teaching on prayer. I can't hear these things too often.

It sometimes feels like I am programmed not to pray. And that is true. Our sin, rebellion and hiding from God "program" us to think we can live life without God and without pray to and with God.

So Jesus teaching on prayer is a way to "re-program" us to be the people God has created us to be--people who want to pray, long to pray and actually pray--not because we want "stuff" but because we want God Himself. Not wanting the blessings of God first of all but wanting God as our "Father in heaven."

The teaching (in verse 2) begins with a reference to God as our Father" and the passage ends with a reference to our "Father in heaven." What an important way to "re-program" our minds and hearts for prayer with God: the God we are praying to is our "Father"!

And this Father in heaven is not like our fathers (and mothers) on earth. Our earthly fathers (and mothers) give us good gifts but their hearts are not always good (and so sometimes they give good gives for wrong motives). But our Father in heaven always give good gifts with a good (not evil) heart. 

And the gift the Father most wants to give us is Himself!--the Holy Spirit--the empowering presence of God in our lives, hearts and minds.

And so, believing Jesus is telling us the truth, we pray: "Our good Father in heaven, give us your Holy Spirit!"