Last night my daughter asked for lunch money for school for the week. Without a thought I opened my wallet, plucked out ten dollars, and handed it to her.
Now I want you to understand that my youngest child is a wonderful person. But she isn’t perfect. In fact, right after I arrived home from a recent trip to Canada she reported on her progress on certain tasks I had assigned her for the week: “I got this done and that done but I didn’t clean out mom’s car yet like I promised.”
It didn’t matter. I gave her the ten bucks anyway. You can tell where this is going right?
Now think back to the last time you felt like you failed God in some way. You failed to give your offering at the worship service, or you missed the service altogether. You skipped your devotions but somehow had plenty of time for your favorite TV show. You got exhausted and cranky and hurled invective at some one else who failed. You’re nodding your head aren’t you? We’ve all “been there done that.”
Jesus told a parable on prayer for people like you and me. It’s about a man who receives a late night visitor but has nothing to offer his guest. So he goes next door and asks his friend for bread. It’s recorded in Luke 11:5-13. The most well known verses are 9-10: Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened.
But the lesser known verse, the one with the message we often miss, is verse 8: I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. (Emphasis mine).
Jesus concludes: Which of you fathers, if you son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!
Here’s the bottom line on answered prayer: You don’t have to be perfect to receive the power of the Holy Spirit necessary to live the Christian life. You just need the boldness to believe that God is a better parent than you are. God does not answer our prayers for his power because we’ve been regular in our devotions; or because we are faithful tithers; or because we’ve faithfully taught, or sung, or served in some other way for so many years. He answers them because he is good.
So be bold, ASK, even when you feel like you don’t deserve God’s power. He gives it because he is good.
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