Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

This chapter of Luke begins with the disciples asking Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” He models prayer for them through what we now call The Lord’s Prayer. Then, He continues to teach the disciples about how to pray with a parable. He ends by saying “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. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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!”

That sounds pretty good to me – anything I ask for, God will give me? Not quite. I can think of so many unanswered prayers in my life, in the lives of family members, in the lives of friends. So many doors that were constantly knocked on that never opened. At the end of the day, prayer isn’t a transaction. It isn’t a vending machine where you put in a prayer and immediately get what you want. There’s no formula to plug your prayers into to make them more effective or to get God to answer you. His instruction to ask, search, and knock is an encouragement to be consistent in prayer. We are to be persistent in praising God, repenting of our sins, thanking Him, and receiving His forgiveness. When Jesus teaches about asking, searching, and knocking he is not giving us magic words for getting what we want. Instead, it’s a posture of standing open before God.

When God doesn’t answer our prayers, it doesn’t mean He doesn’t hear us or doesn’t care. We receive something every time we pray. Every moment spent with God, every conversation with Him, every second in His presence – we are blessed. That doesn’t mean we get the exact things we asked for or God answers us at that moment, but He blesses us with His presence, with a deepened faith, with peace and joy, and with His Holy Spirit. Many times, prayer can be a struggle because we don’t want God. We want an answer from Him, a change in our circumstances, or a physical blessing.

Prayer does not guarantee an outcome, undo the past, or offer an escape from life or the circumstances of our lives. However, we can trust that God’s answers to our prayers are according to His will and purpose, and He is a perfect Heavenly Father who invites us to spend time with Him and tell Him about our needs and desires.

Reflection:

• What are the things you pray for the most?
• How can you trust God even when He has not yet answered a prayer?
• How can you become more persistent in your prayers?

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Family Application: Luke 11

Author: Dahlia Landers

Do you ever wonder if God hears your prayers? Do you worry whether you pray correctly?

In Luke 11, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. He used the Lord’s Prayer as an example of how to pray. Hold on, because we are going to use His prayer at the end. In this chapter, Jesus also told the crowd a story of a man who boldly went to his friend at midnight to ask for bread to feed another friend. Because of his boldness, the friend gave him the bread. Jesus reminded the group to spend time praying to God and letting Him know the things they need. Prayer is how we tell God how much we love Him, how we feel, and ask for His help. Pray the Lord’s prayer together. After this prayer, talk about any words you do not understand so you can learn about them together.

• The Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the Kingdom, the power and the glory are Yours now and forever. Amen.