Luke 11:1-13
Jesus' Teaching on Prayer
1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”
5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
John 14:15-31
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
“Come now; let us leave.
Job 42:1-6
Job's Response to God
1 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”
There is so much to be said about and on the subject of prayer...Many of my prayers in the past have been health prayers...Prayers for my family's health, and for my health to be better and for good health to all...And prayers for friend's health who are ill...
I believe others may pray for a good job that they enjoy, which makes them secure...And I also believe people pray for a strong marriage and partnership...These seem to be important things in life and are worthy of prayer...And of course there are many other things people pray for...
It seems Jesus promises that God longs to give us what is good in response to our prayers...And He teaches us to be persistent in prayer...We are to ask God for the things we need and want...We are to seek those things we pray for...And finally Jesus tells us to knock the door for these things we pray about...And God longs to give us those things which we ask, and seek, and knock for...And this is how we know that God longs to gives us these things when Jesus explains that, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?...Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?...If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”...
Or prayers do not always turn out like we think and sometimes like we want...An example is Job...Somehow as Job looked to God for help, he wanted Something...As as Job talked to his friends and to God, God seemed to remain discouragingly silent...Job was suffering and he wanted better health...And near the end of the Book of Job, God's silence ends...And Job receives what he needs from God...And what Job got was God's Presence...He did not get the things he had questioned his friends and God about -what in the end the thing that Job got was the Presence of God...
And as we read about what God wants to give us in our prayers, it is the Holy Spirit that Jesus talks about...The Holy Spirit is what Jesus brings up on the teaching of prayer...Jesus says, "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”...And Jesus promises us the Holy Spirit...This belief that God wants to help us and thus be near us, is amplified in Jesus telling us that our Father in heaven will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him...The Holy Spirit is an important part of our prayers and in our prayers...I believe that the Holy Spirit is the Presence of God and is what Job got and it is what Job needed...The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, our Advocate, the Truth in what we need...Prayers may be answered by God's Comforting Power and Presence of His Holy Spirit...Let us remember this when we pray...God's Presence is an answer to our prayers...