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Immediatly after the Lords prayer Jesus asks us "Who of you shall have a friend and go to him at midnight and say to him "Friend lend me three loaves!! "For a friend of mine has come to me on his journey and I have nothing to set before him. And he will answer him from within, saying
don't trouble me, the door is now shut and my children are in bed with me. I cannot rise and give to you. I say to you although he will not arise and give to him, because he is his friend, yet because of his persistance he will rise and give him as many as he needs. So I say to you ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will you give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish will you give him a snake, or if he asks will you give him a scorpion. If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give you His Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.
This section should be understood as a unit. It tells us us about Gods nature. It is amazing how Jesus uses human analogy to make us understand God. He uses real life experience with each other, as well as fathers treating their sons well. What is more he emphasises that since evil people are good to their children,how much more generous God is. The unit starts off about a man waking his friend up at midnight to get food from him so he can feed his unexpected guests. The friend tells him to go away, but gets up not because of him being his friend, but rather that the friend was persistant in asking for what he wanted.. That is the major thrust of this scripture. We must pray and hassle God. It is not just a matter of praying once and saying may the Lords will be done. Yes it is good to ask for Gods will, but here we are taught to be persistant in what we ask God for. God wants us to lay hold of Him, not just to knock once but to keep on knocking until you have what you have asked for. To seeK and look not once but until you find what you're looking for. Also to ask until we receive. Now it is not to say we are heard for our many words, rather we are answered because of our persistance. This is Gods good pleasure to us. Praying is a way of expressing our dependance on God for all things. This is indeed the prayer of faith and we must know what God is like. Press in and see the provision of God!! Then we are told how generous an evil father is to his son. But God is far more generous to His children. The point is that evil fathers don't generally withold good things from their children. The point is made to show the generosity of God in giving His children who ask the Holy Spirit. The giving of the Holy Spirit isn't to be confused with the Holy Spirit we receive when we are made into sons of God. This generous giving of the Holy Spirit is rather what we need for life, just as we need bread,fish and eggs. God's Holy Spirit is indeed our sustenance and strength and help. For the Holy Spirit is here on earth with us. It is indeed only the privelage of believers in Jesus Christ and God the Father and the Holy Spirit who have the privelage of asking for the Holy Spirit and having the confidence that they will be answered. Here we are praying to God the Father to give us the Holy Spirit. We must not make little of asking for the Holy Spirit, he is our sustenance more than bread and our physical needs. Be assured God is far more generous than any evil man. Do you believe it?!! |
