City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh.

The Word

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!” 

–Luke 11:5-13 ESV

Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject to change.

–James 1:17 TPT

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses give us insight into the lavish generosity of God by contrasting it against the penitent pittance of sinful humanity. In this text, we see themes of persistence, pursuit, parenthood, and the ultimate present: the miracle of God’s presence. 

Jesus is actually speaking these words from today’s verses in Luke following His teaching on the Lord’s prayer (Luke 11:1-4). In that prayer, Jesus highlights that prayer is a relational interaction with our heavenly Father. Verses 5-13 expound on that concept. Jesus is painting a picture of God’s heart toward us.

First, He uses the scenario of a friend in desperate need (Luke 11:5-8). In the culture of that day, hospitality was paramount. Not being able to provide a meal for your guest would be considered very shameful. The need is further heightened by the inconvenience and disruption it causes–asking a friend for help in the middle of the night.  

Ultimately, it is the shamelessly bold “impudence” of the friend in need that springs his reluctant friend to action. This is not to say that God is reluctant to intervene in His perfect timing/way for us, but it shows us that if even a reluctant, flawed, sinful friend can be moved to action in response to his friend’s persistent pleading, how much more will God race to our aid as we come to Him boldly in prayer? 

Next, we see the theme of pursuit in the ongoing asking, seeking, and knocking that Jesus is inviting us into (Luke 11:9-10). Again, this is not to portray that we can somehow convince or manipulate God into giving us what we want by incessantly asking, but that our constant seeking of God to meet our needs will actually deepen our faith in Him. Believing in God is not a “one and done” moment in our lives. It’s ongoing, robust, and transformative. Faithfully asking, seeking, and knocking is a picture of our pursuit of God as well as God’s loving desire to meet our needs. 

Jesus further expounds His teaching on prayer by describing a child asking his parent for food (Luke 11:11-12). Again, we see this contrasting dynamic–that even if sinful parents know how to nourish their children with what they need to grow, how much more does God know how to supply exactly what we need at every moment of our lives?

Finally, Luke 11:13 touches on the greatest gift we could possibly receive in this lifetime: the gift of the Holy Spirit–God’s perpetual presence in our lives. Life in the Spirit offers so much more. If there was ever a hope for sinful humanity, it is sure to be the Holy Spirit who can make us whole and holy. Jesus shows us that our happiness and deepest fulfillment is not measured by our circumstances or our status, but rather in our stance towards God.  

Application

Do you have the audacity to pray boldly before your Father in Heaven with a willingness to trust that God stands ready to receive your requests with a loving response? 

Prayer is so much more than wishful thinking or spouting off a laundry list of requests. Prayer is an invitation to enter the courts of a King. Even more so, however, it’s an opportunity to run to our Father in a loving embrace. 

Don’t pray as if you’re pestering God. Pray with persistence, in constant pursuit, seeing God as the perfect parent who is delighted to give you His purposeful present: His perpetual presence in your life. 

Prayer

Father God, how grateful I am for the gift of the Holy Spirit in my life. Thank You, Lord, for daily leading and guiding me into all truth. I would be utterly lost without You. Expand my capacity to receive the fullness of who You are to me. In Jesus’ name, amen.