How Much More Will the Father Give
I tell you though he will not get up and give him anything because he is a friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. (Luke 11:8)
Luke 11:1-13; Gen. 18:23-33, 32:24-36
What Is God Saying?
The disciples asked Jesus to equip them for ministry. At the top of the list was prayer, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’ Note, it was not, Teach us how to perform miracles, or to preach, or to give intelligent answers to hard questions. It was simply, How should we pray? Jesus shows them that they have asked the right question. He first gives them the model prayer (Luke 11:2-4). Called the Lord's Prayer, it is the Disciples' Prayer. Throughout history, no words have been more often on the lips of Christians than this prayer that all Christians of all time have in common. It comes first and will continue to be heard until God draws the curtain on time and Christians know in fact what they have prayed in confidence and hope, ‘Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever.’
The first example that Jesus gives on the subject of prayer deals with importunity. Persistence wins over a reluctant friend. But God is not reluctant to answer. It is the contrast that is being brought out here. If an unwilling friend will finally give in, how much more will God the loving Father, supply His children's needs and answer their requests?
How Does This Apply To Us?
There should be earnestness, intensity, and faith in our prayers. If there is ever a time when we should persist, it is when we pray. We don't have to overcome God's reluctance. If we receive no answer, it is not because God is like the unwilling friend who resents having his sleep interrupted at midnight. It means God has something better for us. He may deny us what we think is good to give us what He knows is best.
Pray With Me
Help me to become more importunate as I pray for spiritual graces, for moral victories, for a loving heart, and for the souls of others. When I pray, let my first longing be for Your glory and honor. Let my continuing desire be the coming of Your kingdom. Let my greatest ambiti0n be the knowledge of Your will. Let me become insistent about the things that count and the things that last. As I grow in my insistence upon the things that can be sought in the name of Jesus, I will find great answers to prayer. Miracles will come as a matter of course. Unimagined joys will spring into life. Living power will fill my being.
I would remember that quality of life and character, and destiny itself, are all determined by the things over which we grow insistent, ‘For he who sows to his flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.’ From now on I will importunate. I will come to the throne of grace with unwearying determination. I will come until the likeness of Christ is stamped on my being. I will come until my heart beats with His love. I will come until my hands move, as His, in quick response to human need. This is the path of life. This is the way everlasting. This is the one answer to prayer that brings an answer to all prayers.
This is the answer I shall keep on seeking and keep on finding until released from the burden of the flesh, I shall be in the glory of Heaven's perfect and final answer, even Jesus Christ, my living and ever-interceding Lord. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
We keep on praying because it is our privilege. We keep on praying because it is the road to victory, the receiving of peace, the finding of answers. God wants us to be persistent. Half-hearted and hollow prayers mean that we don't mean it. Mere words cannot claim mighty grace. Earnest, persistent, importunate prayers reach the Throne of Grace. If we mean what we ask, determined never to give up, we will receive what we want or something better, far better.
