Luke 11:1-13
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He had finished,
one of His disciples said to Him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
one of His disciples said to Him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
5 And He said to them,
“Which of you who has a friend
will go to him at midnight and say to him,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves,
6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;
7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’?
8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.
9 And I tell you,
ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask Him!”
Jesus begins the Eleventh Chapter of The Gospel of Luke, with an unusual phrase,
Jesus was praying in a certain place
I sing a song of the saints of God:
patient and brave and true,
who toiled and fought
and lived and died
for the Lord they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor,
and one was a queen,
and one was a shepherdess on the green:
they were all of them saints of God, and I mean,
God helping, me to be one too.
They loved their Lord so dear, so dear,
and His love made them strong;
and they followed the right,
for Jesus’ sake,
the whole of their good lives long.
And one was a soldier,
and one was a priest,
and one was slain by a fierce wild beast:
and there’s not any reason,
no, not the least,
why I shouldn’t be one too.
They lived not only in ages past;
there are hundreds of thousands still;
the world is bright with the joyous saints
who love
to do Jesus’ will.
You can meet them in school,
or in lanes,
or at sea,
in church,
or in trains,
or in shops,
or at tea;
for the saints of God are just folk like me,
and I mean to be one too.
The Almighty does not want us to pray in any certain place.
"Prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God." - Teresa of Avila.
This passage, Luke 11, links prayer to friends seeking a favor.
Strictly a come as you are invitation, Prayer.
When we see David including all the aspects of life, for example hating the wicked, God is allowing David to be who he is. When we see violence like the war in Israel, we are plunged into emotions. God is allowing us to come near Him with our inner being. God doesn't stop David and say, no, hate the wickedness. This wouldn't help Aaron come into the Holy of Holies.
A human being will ask us to be saintly and wear contrition. Contribute to God, even if you wear a mask? God would run to us and say, My Child is Coming Home. God wants us to fully understand, God sees our heart to infinity and beyond.
Jesus challenged the man. Jesus didn't say this is okey-dokey, let's give it a quick fix. Jesus looked at the father and His Disciples and said, "Have Faith, keep praying." Then Jesus was a bit ruffled, by the less than eager idea of having faith. And He said, "Anything is possible with God!"
The father didn't say, you betcha, sounds good. Jesus didn't turn to the men He appointed, anointed, and say, line up, and we will take names and numbers of who didn't handle this spot on.
Let's take a step back and look at Jesus with Spiritual Glasses.
Jesus is Glowing with Vacation. Tremendous, Heavenly Vacation. Jesus laid eyes on His Father, for the first time since Bethlehem, perhaps. Jesus is coming down the hill with Peter, James and John and they are - seeing correctly - Who Jesus Christ Is. Jesus is with them in profound fellowship.
The Lord is greeted by a great crowd of people looking at Him in the distance. Welcome Back, Jesus, You Have a Problem. Dealing with a cloud over them, because the boy has a demon. Upset people. People who are focused on Jesus because they can't solve the situation surrounding them and know He can provide a joyous path forward. The cloud is reminding them, they are powerless. The cloud is also saying this whole thing is a downer. The exact opposite of Vacation. Polar opposite.
The Disciples have a history of complaint in their hearts about Jesus. An equal measure of awe and discomfort, with some hand it off to Jesus. Maybe even thinking Jesus is going to give us the speech about knowing bread, again.
The father is motivated at the arrival of Jesus.
Yes, sir. Here is the exact problem, with my exact need. Let's get to the Jesus part. This needy father is going to annoy Jesus, what me? What are you saying, that we should pray about this? What, Jesus, wants me to do something? A something vague, like be positive, then the outcome will eventually pray out???
The father picks up his solution, miracle hope. Jesus is standing here! What should this man do with have a hope? Ask Jesus for More Help! Goal!
Voila, we have Prayer.
The man realizes Jesus is dealing with him, the exact way you deal with a friend:
Let's flowchart, a possible thought process:
Glad to see you.
Oh, Lord, you have a need?
Ok, what.
Yes, thanks heard you.
What are you really telling me?
And you want me to do the whole thing?
What are you going to do?
Oh, is that enough?
I can't do that. Correct.
Yes, like a team.
Mark 9
And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.
And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”
And He answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.
And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.”
But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
Everyone faces they are powerless. The forest for the trees.
And look to Jesus with all sorts of emotions:
Flowcharting a prayer, from the brain to the heart, to the soul:
Gratitude
Why did you take so long,
Why don't you help me more and faster.
Maybe I should try to look like I'm enthusiastic
I'm compliant
So glad You are here, even if you are a disappointment.
But You forgive!
There is Hope!
The process is about Friendship. Understanding Who is in Charge.
Dealing with His Authority.
Feeling like a duckling under His Pinions.
Feeling a little like Judas for having negative emotions.
Being forgiven again.
Awe at the Gracious Endurance of Jesus.
Wonder at the Steadfast Love of God.
Joy at His Mercy.
And the Lord's Prayer is an ongoing search for the Living Word
of His mysterious Lord's Prayer. The clarity of one phrase, as needed.
Because Jesus was praying in a certain place!
Our Almighty Father does not record the name of the father and son. They do not come back and say thank You. And neither are they condemned. There is no Chapter saying they came back to complain that God gave a backsie miracle.
Instead, they are forgiven that day, that week, that month. Forgiven on the Cross.
The Mercy and Love of God are Steadfast.
Jesus is true, honorable, just, pure. Their lives do not place this time as their forever. They are not listed as Purgatory. Jesus, even as He says, Pray, isn't telling them stand here forever.
Jesus is Lovely, Commendable, Excellent. He does not call down fire from Heaven when not faking full faith. Don't Have Enough Faith, have some fire! There is no backsie, God changed His Mind Chapter.
Anything to Praise? The crowd counted this as death. They cried out, this is death.
Jesus gave Life. Anything is Possible With Jesus.
Psalm 122
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!”
8 For my brothers and companions' sake
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.
Abba, Father,
We pray for Israel.
For the Children of Israel who are terribly afraid
in their homes of violence.
Cover us in the
Highest Name of Jesus.
Our hearts cry,
Lord Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, as we pray
Dwell in us, Father, please.
Dwell in the ones we Love.
Bless us with Your Love,
Help us to Seek You First.
And
we will finish well in Jesus Christ.
Heal the hurting, uplift the families.
Send Your vast blessings. Father God,
You are truly are as vast as the Universe itself
and as gentle as a breeze.
Speak the Word, Father God, and we know Your healing.
We ask You for healing:
In the Nation,
Nations and Israel,
mankind,
families
and the weather
Economics.
All the things we pray for diligently!
We pray
to rise
to shine for Your Glory.
In the Name of Jesus Christ,
Your Son.
Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
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