Luke 11:9-10
"So I say to 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 he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened."
Many of us see this passage as a promise by God that He will answer our prayers. All that's required is that we ask, right? We comfort ourselves and protect our faith in God by saying that
unanswered prayers must be because because God knows better, or it's
just that everything is answered in His time... which is not our own. When something great happens to us or we are wanting something great from the Lord, we call this His favor. This word and this passage has always somewhat puzzled me, and sort of
left a bad taste in my mouth when people would quote this verse when
requesting favor from our Lord.
Favor seems to be a favorite word for those who believe in the Prosperity Doctrine myth which is another reason that I haven't been too keen on this word.
I wanted tackle this passage once and for all in order to truly
understand exactly what this was saying. I was sort of sort of
surprised with the result, and came away with much more than what I was
expecting. Thoughts: This passage is within the context of Christ giving instruction on how to pray. Preceding this passage Jesus gives us an illustration about a
friend who asks his friend for a loaf of bread, a favor. His buddies are coming in from
out of town and he doesn't have have any bread to feed them
To ask for a favor from a friend is asking for a cup of sugar because you were right in the middle of baking something and you just ran out. A favor for a friend is holding a ladder in place while he's cleaning out the gutters. A request for a favor is simple
and doesn't require much from the person asking or the one who
is asked. A favor can be just as easily dismissed as it is requested.
If we're simply asking for a favor, then we really don't need what we're asking for... we're simply asking for something extra that might make things easier.
Asking for a need is much different than asking for a favor isn't it? Asking for a need would be if your friend came over and asked for
food because his family was starving... Asking for a need would be to
ask a friend for money in order to allow you to pay the mortgage this
month. These are NEEDS! By putting it into this perspective we understand that to request a need requires a much heavier commitment on both parties. For this reason, needs are not easy to ask for or to give. Asking for a need often shames and humbles the person asking. The one asking has to admit that they're incapable of providing for themselves something you may have in abundance. Sometimes we may not know the difference between a favor and a need. Simply stated; A rich man who asks for money is asking for a favor, a poor man asking for food is asking for a need. A person who asks you to 'come along' with them and their friends is asking for a favor. A person asking for your company is often in need of a friend.
God makes it clear that He will provide for your needs. He also makes it clear that we should pray fervently for Him to fulfill our needs. This is how He teaches us pray, and He says He will answer our prayers. "...how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"
~ Luke 11:13
"So I say to 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 he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened."
Many of us see this passage as a promise by God that He will answer our prayers. All that's required is that we ask, right? We comfort ourselves and protect our faith in God by saying that
unanswered prayers must be because because God knows better, or it's
just that everything is answered in His time... which is not our own. When something great happens to us or we are wanting something great from the Lord, we call this His favor. This word and this passage has always somewhat puzzled me, and sort of
left a bad taste in my mouth when people would quote this verse when
requesting favor from our Lord.
Favor seems to be a favorite word for those who believe in the Prosperity Doctrine myth which is another reason that I haven't been too keen on this word.
I wanted tackle this passage once and for all in order to truly
understand exactly what this was saying. I was sort of sort of
surprised with the result, and came away with much more than what I was
expecting. Thoughts: This passage is within the context of Christ giving instruction on how to pray. Preceding this passage Jesus gives us an illustration about a
friend who asks his friend for a loaf of bread, a favor. His buddies are coming in from
out of town and he doesn't have have any bread to feed them
To ask for a favor from a friend is asking for a cup of sugar because you were right in the middle of baking something and you just ran out. A favor for a friend is holding a ladder in place while he's cleaning out the gutters. A request for a favor is simple
and doesn't require much from the person asking or the one who
is asked. A favor can be just as easily dismissed as it is requested.
If we're simply asking for a favor, then we really don't need what we're asking for... we're simply asking for something extra that might make things easier.
Asking for a need is much different than asking for a favor isn't it? Asking for a need would be if your friend came over and asked for
food because his family was starving... Asking for a need would be to
ask a friend for money in order to allow you to pay the mortgage this
month. These are NEEDS! By putting it into this perspective we understand that to request a need requires a much heavier commitment on both parties. For this reason, needs are not easy to ask for or to give. Asking for a need often shames and humbles the person asking. The one asking has to admit that they're incapable of providing for themselves something you may have in abundance. Sometimes we may not know the difference between a favor and a need. Simply stated; A rich man who asks for money is asking for a favor, a poor man asking for food is asking for a need. A person who asks you to 'come along' with them and their friends is asking for a favor. A person asking for your company is often in need of a friend.
God makes it clear that He will provide for your needs. He also makes it clear that we should pray fervently for Him to fulfill our needs. This is how He teaches us pray, and He says He will answer our prayers. "...how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"
~ Luke 11:13
When we pray to God, are we following His instructions and praying out of need or are we just asking for a favor?
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