Biblical Texts: Genesis 18v20-32, Luke 11v1-13

Jesus prays. That might seem like an odd statement, but throughout Luke’s gospel, he tells us repeatedly that Jesus withdraws from everything that’s going on, and he prays. We don’t know how long it took, but after a while his disciples asked him to teach them to do the same. After all, John had apparently taught his disciples. Because when you follow a rabbi, you are not just listening to what he says, you are watching what he does, and they want to be like him…so they ask, “teach us to pray.”

Jesus responds with what we now call the Lord’s Prayer. We say it every Sunday, and  perhaps you say it far more often than that. It’s no magic formula, but it’s a good framework for our prayers – We recognise God as our Father, one with authority, who should be worshipped, whose kingdom we hope for on earth. We recognise His ability, and His desire, to provide us with what we need on a daily basis. We recognise both our sin, and the sin that harms us, and we pray for forgiveness. And finally we recognise that we do not want to be tested. The prayer helps us to orient ourselves well, it challenges our focus and our priorities, and it helps us to give ourselves over to God. This first small section of our reading confirms both the importance of prayer, and the substance. (For more see this post.)

But this is not all Jesus has to say. As we move on, Jesus speaks about the attitude and practice of prayer. He gives his disciples a brief analogy. Suppose you go to your friend in the middle of the night, and ask him for bread to feed a guest. Clearly this is not a normal request. Your friend is not disposed to help. But because you persist, he will get up and help.

The Greek word here the NRSV has as “persist” is a tough one to translate. The NIV has “shameless audacity” and the ESV uses “impudence.” The asking is certainly persistent, but the sense is that the one asking cares little for social norms, what is important is the request, and they will not be happy without an answer.

The analogy is an odd one though isn’t it? Who is God here? Does God give in to our prayers because we are persistent, or shameless, or impudent? You can see why the lectionary pairs this reading with Abraham’s pleas for Sodom and Gomorrah. He keeps pestering God, intent on getting God to remember mercy. We could have read the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18 too, who is up against an unjust judge.

So is God unjust? Must we pester Him for Him to answer? It’s clear from Jesus’s next words that this is not his point. Parents want to give good gifts to their children, gifts that will safely nourish them. Jesus is not saying we must pester God, but that our prayers should persist, even be shameless, knowing we have a God who wills our good. If human fathers, not always known for our grace and patience, will give good gifts to our children, how much more so God?!

Ask, says Jesus, and it will be given you, Seek, and you will find, knock, and the door will be opened. We have a good God, a good Father, who wills our good. Let us not be afraid to bring before Him all that we are in prayer, for He is listening.

May you pray, and seek God, knowing that He wills your good, and may you persist in prayer for others who are made in His image, for we all need the daily bread only our Heavenly Father can provide.