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THE FRIEND IN NEED
And he said to
them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at
midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;
for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set
before him.’ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the
door has already been locked, and my children are with me in
bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even
though he will not get up and give him anything because he is
his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up
and give him whatever he needs.”
The disciples had just asked Jesus to teach
them how to pray. After teaching them “The Lord’s Prayer,” as we
call it today, Jesus continued with this parable to explain how
we are expected to pray.
A man was in need of bread to serve
unexpected guests who had arrived late at night, so he went to
his friend and neighbor to borrow some bread. The typical poor
Israelite family lived in a one-room house, which sometimes also
served as a stable for the animals. By the time the family and
animals were settled down for the night, it would be quite an
ordeal to get up and open the door. So the man in the house told
his neighbor to go away; he didn’t want to wake the entire
household. However, the man in need continued to ask until his
friend obliged his request just to get rid of him. Boldness and
persistence paid off!
Jesus encourages such an attitude in our
fervent and constant prayer. We must pray for what we need, for
the kingdom of God to come near, for God’s will to be done, for
daily bread, for forgiveness of our sins and to be forgiving,
for safety, and for the Holy Spirit. For it is by the Holy
Spirit that we are brought to know God and ourselves, to repent,
and to believe in and love Christ. Although God may not answer
our prayers immediately or speedily or in the manner that we
expect, he will answer them.
We may find comfort in the verses that
follow this parable: “Ask and you will receive; seek and you
will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and
to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. … If you then,
who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask him?”
Dear Heavenly Father, graciously give us
the power of your Holy Spirit to guide and to encourage us in
persistent and even audacious prayer for those things which you
would have us ask. Give us the strength and boldness to say,
“Your will be done.” Amen
Marlene Hallstrom
Associate in Ministry |
