Then, teaching them more about prayer,
he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting
to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A
friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to
eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his
bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and
I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do
it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and
give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. “And
so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on
seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to
you. LUKE 11:5-9 NLT
Being
Persistent in Prayer…
Shows
God I am serious
Do
not hurry to speak or be in a hurry as you think what to tell God. For God is
in heaven and you are on the earth. So let your words be few. ECCLESIASTES 5:2 NLV
Strengthens my faith
…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up
with wings like eagles; they
shall run and not be weary; they
shall walk and not faint. ISAIAH 40:31
NLT
Allows me time to change my request
My
prayer naturally evolves
Many times what
I want when I first pray is not what I want when I finish praying.
My
prayer is wrong
And even when you ask, you don’t get it
because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. JAMES 4:3 NLT
I’m
confused
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our
weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the
Holy Spirit prays for us with
groanings that cannot be expressed in words. ROMANS 8:26 NLT
Guarantees God’s answer
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and
you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on
knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives.
Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
LUKE 11:9-10 NLT
God’s answers:
Affirms God’s goodness
“You
fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or
if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you
sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will
your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” LUKE 11:11-13 NLT