Today’s passage is Luke 11:1-13. When one disciple asks Jesus to teach them to pray, he teaches them the Lord’s Prayer. Then he tells them the story of someone successfully pestering his friend at midnight for a few loaves of bread to give to another friend. He tells the disciples to ask, seek and knock because they will receive, and he assures them that the Father will give them the Holy Spirit if they ask.
Why is boldness more important than friendship when you want something?
Why isn’t Jesus content with telling his disciples to ask or seek or knock#8212;why all three?
Over thirty years ago I asked for and received the Holy Spirit (13), so in reading today’s passage I’m left wondering what to ask for, what to seek, what door to knock on.
I have a long list of daily prayers for such things as the salvation of my family and friends, for the right teachers and students to come to my school, and for healings for people that God puts into my mind. But that’s ongoing.
What about today?
And beyond today, what is the plan in terms of today’s passage?
The man in Jesus’ story sought bread, knocked at his friend’s door and asked for three loaves (5-8). He did all three things.
I think this means that all three actions are necessary.
I think the order of the verbs is also important.
First I have to ask a question because that will give me the direction I need to go.
When I arrive, I boldly knock, the door will be opened and I will receive.
That’s a good formula, a good set of instructions to go through life with if I can ask the right question.
The title of last Sunday’s sermon on Colossians 3:1-4 was “Seek the things above”. Pastor Kim stressed what Paul said: to set our hearts and minds on things above.
If that’s what I’m seeking, then the question must be: What do I seek?
And if I need to be seeking things above, the place to do the knocking is perhaps pre-eminently here in QT, in the worship and in mokjang.
But the application needs to be the daily walk with Christ, carrying my cross.
If I seek worldly things, however, I’m going to get scorpions not eggs, snakes not fish.
That’s pretty much what I got in my life, too, when I chased university degrees for status, wrote stories for fame, and committed adultery for a fantasy family.
So, for me, I think the question needs to be: How can I serve you today, Lord?
Then I seek the discernment of that action, which may be on any given day a lot of prayer, and finally I boldly knock on the door of that service because I know it’s what God wants and therefore he has given me his power to accomplish it.
Today that service has been prayer. Tomorrow is another day, though.
Application: To pray for others with my mind on the cross.
Lord, keep me asking what I need to do each day, give me the discernment to see it and your joyful strength to do it.
