“And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.”
(Luke 11:7)
In Luke 11, tucked between that familiar passage we refer to as “The Lord’s Prayer” and the equally familiar passage that urges us to ask, seek, and knock we find this brief parable. A pertinent story that Christ uses to teach His disciples that prayer is much more than rote repetition of the right words. Instead, effective prayer involves perseverance in asking and seeking God earnestly.
As in the case of the parable of the friend in need of bread at midnight, He demonstrates that our persistence in asking is not an attempt to overcome an unwillingness in God, but the proper expression of a heart that knows its need. The petitioner continues knocking because the need is great, and Christ assures His disciples that those who ask, seek, and knock shall receive.
And what we further see in this passage is that the blessing believers should seek is not primarily earthly needs but the Holy Spirit Himself. He is the greatest gift the Father gives, for by Him sinners are regenerated, sanctified, conformed to Christ, and made partakers of every saving blessing purchased by our Redeemer. If earthly fathers willingly provide bread for hungry children, how much more does the heavenly Father delight to give His Spirit to those who earnestly seek Him. His willingness infinitely exceeds that of the most loving earthly parent because His goodness, wisdom, and compassion are infinite.[1]
Yet this gracious invitation exposes a common sin among God’s people. We are often content with cold, distracted, and infrequent prayers while expecting abundant spiritual fruit. The Lord invites His children to seek the richest treasures of His grace, yet we often pursue earthly comforts with much more diligence than heavenly blessings. We ask small because we desire small. And we grow weary in prayer because we do not value the privilege of communion with God and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.
Christ’s encouragement to persistent prayer therefore calls believers to humbly confess our spiritual dullness, prayerless living, and weak desires that dishonor both the generosity of the heavenly Father and the greatness of the blessings He freely offers.
Every delay in prayer should produce greater dependence, not discouragement… greater earnestness, not indifference. The Father’s readiness to give His Spirit should draw His children continually to the throne of grace, where they find mercy, strength, and every blessing necessary for life and godliness.
Contemplations:
- Confessing My Coldness in Prayer. Lord, I confess that my prayers have often been cold and hurried. Though You invite me to seek You earnestly, I too often approach Your throne with distracted affections and wandering thoughts. Forgive me for praying as though communion with You were a secondary privilege instead of my greatest necessity.
- Confessing My Small Desires for Spiritual Blessings. I confess that I tend to ask for earthly comforts more earnestly than the fullness of Your Holy Spirit. I can too easily become occupied with physical concerns while neglecting those heavenly graces that conform me to Christ. Forgive my misplaced priorities and enlarge my desires after holiness.
- Confessing My Lack of Perseverance. I confess that I also stop asking too soon, grow tired seeking, and become discouraged in waiting on You. Instead of trusting Your wisdom and continuing in prayer, I have allowed unbelief and impatience to weaken my confidence. Strengthen my faith to seek You continually.
- Confessing My Failure to Trust My Heavenly Father. My anxious heart often questions Your willingness to bless me. Though You are infinitely more gracious than any earthly father, I sometimes live as though You are reluctant to hear my cries. Forgive my unbelief and teach me to rest in Your fatherly goodness and abundant mercy.
Prayer (Confession):
Most gracious heavenly Father, I confess that I have not sought You as earnestly as I ought. You opened the throne of grace through Jesus Christ and invited me to ask, seek, and knock, yet I have often been careless in prayer and slow to pursue the riches of Your grace. Forgive me for my cold affections, my distracted mind, and my weak desires for spiritual blessings.
I confess that I tend to value earthly comforts too highly while seeking the gift of Your Holy Spirit too little. My faith is often weak, my perseverance short, and my confidence in Your fatherly goodness imperfect. I have doubted where I should have trusted and grown weary where I should have continued in prayer.
Merciful Father, pardon these sins for the sake of Christ. Renew within me a deeper hunger for holiness and a steadfast spirit that delights to wait on You.
Teach me to seek first those blessings that endure, trusting that You are far more willing to give than I am to ask. Cause me to persevere in prayer with humble faith until my heart is more fully conformed to the likeness of Your beloved Son through the gracious work of the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
Further Scripture References:
Luke 13:25, 18:25; Col. 4:12; Prov. 8:17
[1] Jonathan Edwards, Sermons and Discourses, 1739–1742, ed. Harry S. Stout, Nathan O. Hatch, and Kyle P. Farley, vol. 22, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2003), 213-215.
