The Midnight Request
I honestly greatly dislike going grocery shopping. Many times, especially during the winter months, I wait until we are completely out of food before going shopping.
In Luke 11, Jesus tells the story of a man who runs out of food and seeks the help of his neighbor to feed his unexpected guest. Jesus told this parable in response to a question asked of Him by His disciples.
Jesus had been apart for a while praying. As He rejoined His disciples, they asked Him to teach them how to pray as John the Baptist taught his disciples. Jesus began by reiterating the prayer He had taught them previously in Matthew 6:9-13.
He then proceeds to tell them the following parable:
Luke 11:5-8,
“And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.”
Today we are going to take a look at Four Practical Applications Concerning Prayer:
A Delayed Petition
The man in this story was ill-prepared for company. He had no food with which to feed his weary traveling friend.
Now in this man’s defense, he in all likelihood did not know his friend was coming. Nevertheless, his request was rather ill-timed. Midnight is probably not the time to be knocking on your neighbor’s door and asking for a favor. We can hardly blame the neighbor for his response.
When the man ran out of food that day, he presumably was thinking he could wait until the next day to go buy more. However, when his friend dropped in unexpectedly, he could no longer delay the need for food.
John Phillips writes,
“The difficulty was not in the matter of giving but of giving then. The problem lies with the man who belatedly appeals for help – to cover up his own negligence and unpreparedness. He should have ensured that he was always ready to give the proper answer to whomever asked of him (I Peter 3:15)…It is too late in the day to take a crash course on soul winning when we find ourselves suddenly seated alongside someone who urgently needs to be saved. Our most obvious duty is to be ready at all times to meet the spiritual needs of the lost.”
How often do we wait to seek the Lord’s help when we have a problem or difficulty?
Far too often, we endeavor to get by on our own until we are pushed to a moment of desperation as this man was. However, we must be seeking God daily through prayer and through His Word. By studying and searching His Word on a regular basis we will be able to meet the spiritual needs of those who come to us seeking spiritual food. But we cannot give out what we have not first taken in.
A Desperate Plea
This midnight request is one of desperation. The man had a need that only his neighbor was able to meet at this late hour. He had no access to a 24 hour grocery store.
God does not want us to wait until we are completely desperate to seek His help. He wants us to come to Him the moment we face a difficulty. He does not want us to be like the disciples who waited until the ship was full of water and they were about to perish before seeking assistance (Mark 4:35-40).
Do you wait until you reach the point of desperation to seek the Lord’s help?
Far too often we delay seeking the Lord’s help. Instead, we must go to Him immediately.
A Demanding Persistence
The man continued knocking on the door until the neighbor finally rose and granted his request.
God wants us to be persistent in our prayers. He wants us continually to seek His guidance on a daily basis. The Bible says we are to “Pray without ceasing” (I Thess. 5:17).
John Phillips writes,
“The Lord does not mean to imply by this parable that He is unwilling to answer our prayers and has to be pestered to do so. Nor does He mean that importunity will get an answer to a prayer that otherwise would not be answered. Quite the contrary. Just the same, however, God works according to fixed principles.”
Is your prayer life characterized by persistence?
Do you seek God daily for His help and guidance?
It is important we do not confuse the response of the neighbor with the response of God. Unlike the neighbor, God delights in meeting our needs according to His will. The response of the neighbor is in direct contrast to the response of God.
We find peace and comfort knowing God is available at any time of day or night, ready and waiting to hear our prayers. He never sleeps, and He never grows weary of responding to pleas of His children.
Psalm 121:2-3,
“My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.”
“God is no sleepy One in bed, wanting you to beg and pray, when you ask…there is no need to beg and beseech. God is waiting…God is not asleep” (G. Campbell Morgan)
A Displayed Power
Luke 11:11,13,
“If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?…If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
The greatest gift we can obtain through prayer is the filling of the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit is the birthright of every believer since Pentecost” (John Phillips).
Every child of God has the Holy Spirit living inside of him or her. However, through sin and disobedience to God’s commands we negate its power in our lives (I Thess. 5:19). Prayer keeps our hearts in close fellowship with our Lord and Savior, allows us to be filled with His presence, and empties us of ourselves.
Andrew Murray said,
“When we pray for the Spirit’s help … we will simply fall down at the Lord’s feet in our weakness. There we will find the victory and power that comes from His love.”
If we want to be prepared to pour out our lives spiritually into the lives of others, we must become intimate with God through prayer. It is by the means of prayer that we will experience His power working in and through us.
Do you seek to be used greatly of God but feel you are inadequate?
Do not wait until those moments of desperation, when you don’t know where else to turn. Look to God the moment you feel yourself lacking. We cannot continue to pour water out of an empty pitcher. The pitcher must be refilled.
Corrie Ten Boom writes,
“Trying to do the Lord’s work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.”
Ironically, this was the passage that I was studying this morning in my quiet time, Julia. I really like some of the insights you brought out and one that I would add is the way God values the friendship we have with Him. It moves His heart to always open the door to us because we are His friends. Thanks for this inspiring and well-researched post! I’ll be pinning multiple times!
Thank you! God’s timing is always amazing!
It’s evident you put a lot of work into this post. I really appreciate it because it’s very encouraging to me. I’ve only just recently been diligent and consistent about seeking the Lord daily, both good days and bad days. The spiritual rewards are so worth it, and by praying so much more consistently I feel more equipped to battle feelings of inadequacy.
I am glad you were encouraged! It takes continued diligence to be consistent about seeking the Lord. It is so easy to slide into complacency. Something we all struggle with!