Who Do We Trust In Challenging Times?

Psalm 33:12-22

Looking back over the long expanse of history, there has not been any consistent time where all of the nations of the world were at peace between each other.  You might ask “What about during the Pax Romana” a period of peace from roughly 27 BC - 180 AD.  That involved the Roman Empire, and though that empire was large and powerful, it did not encompass the whole world.  There very likely were conflicts and even wars in other parts of the world then, such as among the indigenous tribes in North and South America, or perhaps among the different kingdoms of eastern Asia, or elsewhere.  There has never been a time where there was not some type of hostility or war between two or more groups of people.  Looking around the globe today, I can pick out several places where there are armed conflicts of various degrees.  When such conflicts arise close to home, or we fear may begin to include our country or territory, we may begin to fear.  “Can my country protect me and my family?  Will our leader keep us safe?  Is our military strong enough to defeat the enemy?”  In our Scripture for today we will read the answer that the Lord God gives to those questions and fears.

Our psalmist today, in the second half of Psalm 33, can answer these questions, and hopefully put to rest the fears that many may have in these challenging days, where the fears of war and hopes for peace seem to dominate.  As we read, we see that the Lord is watching over all the world (vs. 13-15).  He is not oblivious to what is going on.  He sees all of mankind, and He understands the hearts and actions of everyone, from the lowliest person on the streets to the richest or most powerful leaders.  Contrary to what some religions teach, God is omniscient and He is personally involved in all that happens.  Nothing escapes His notice.  No action, person, or situation - past, present, or future - is hidden from Him.  Not only does He see everyone’s actions, He also knows the motives behind those actions.  We can only guess at someone’s motives, including world leaders, but God knows their true motives.

Who are we trusting in to keep us, our families, our friends, and ultimately our nation safe?  Our psalmist speaks the truth when he says that no king (or president, or prime minister) is saved by his army (vs. 16-17).  Without getting into the technicalities of military theory, in every battle or war, there have always been two or more armies (of varying sizes) involved.  One side ultimately defeats the other.  God tells us that we should not put our trust in an army, nor in the war horse (today we could say military aircraft, tanks, missiles, etc.).  Trusting in our political leaders, military might, or personal strength is vain.  Our hope must be in God’s power, not worldly solutions.

So if we can’t trust in our political leaders to help us, neither our military, nor in multi-national organizations (United Nations, EU, etc.), who can we turn to for help when the drums of war are sounding louder and louder?  Or who can we turn to for help when our country’s economy is falling apart, and basic necessities like food and housing are becoming too expensive?  Or when we can’t afford the medical care that we need?  Our psalmist here tells us that we should turn to the Lord God, and trust in Him, not in any human agency (vs. 18-19).  God watches over those who fear Him, and who hope in His mercy.  Salvation and deliverance comes through God’s grace, not through someone else, or even our own ability.  When we fear the Lord, giving Him His due honor and respect, and trust in His mercy, He will deliver us.

Our psalmist reminds us that we need to wait upon the Lord, trusting in His timing and plan, even when there are frightening challenges (vs. 20-22).  We can rejoice in all that He has done, and has promised that He will do for us, and hope in His mercy, because He is a faithful God.

As the portion of our psalm began, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord (vs. 12).  Though there possibly were some nations in the past who genuinely trusted in the Lord Jesus, there really aren’t any today where we could say that both their leader and the vast majority of the people put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Though God is concerned with nations, He is also especially concerned with individuals.  Each of us as individuals can and should turn to the Lord Jesus and claim Him as our Lord and God.  Believers today form a spiritual nation (I Peter 2:9).  Our allegiance must be to the Lord above all.  God’s blessing is tied to submission to His lordship.  Nations that reject the Lord Jesus cannot expect His favor.

Knowing this, we need to pray that our nation, whatever one you may live in, will come (or return) to the Lord Jesus, acknowledging Him as their Lord and God.  For ourselves, for our own peace of mind in challenging times, we need to trust in God’s mercy, not in our own or anyone else’s strength.  Remain steadfast in our faith, knowing that God’s eye is upon us.

A Delayed Promise

Genesis 15:1-6

If someone made a promise to you back in the year 2000, and you were still waiting for that promise to be kept, it’s possible that you might give up hope that they will ever follow through and keep that promise.  Twenty-five years is a long time to wait, yet that is exactly how long the gentleman in our Scripture today, Abraham, had to wait for the fulfillment of a promise made to him.  Today’s Scripture passage, though, takes place about half way through that time period, and he’s still waiting.  Let’s see what is happening with Abraham, or Abram as he was called then.

Back in Genesis 12:1-4, we read of God’s call of Abram and His initial promise of him having descendants, “make you a great nation”.   At this time Abram was 75, and his wife Sarai (later known as Sarah) was 65.  The oldest verifiable age where a woman gave birth naturally, without any type of fertility treatments, is 59 back in 1997.  Sarai was several years past that age.  Now, as we enter Chapter 15, we are possibly ten or so years later, and Abram is still childless.

Just prior to the beginning of Chapter 15, Abram had rescued his nephew Lot, along with his fellow townspeople, from marauding kings and their armies, set on eliminating neighboring cities.  Abram returned to his own camp settlement, but was probably fearful that those armies he had routed might return with a vengeance against him.  The Lord came and spoke to Abram, though, in his time of fear, and reassured him that He would protect him from all harm.  He told Abram that He was his shield and his great reward (vs. 1).  A shield protects soldiers from arrows and spears.  God promised to be that protection for him.  After his rescue of Lot and his neighbors, Abram had refused any share of the spoils of that battle (Genesis 14:22-23).  God, though, affirmed that He was Abram’s reward, a reward that was greater than any earthly gain he could get.  When we are following the Lord, and obeying His Word, He will be our shield of protection in trials.  When we forsake worldly gain to follow His righteousness, God becomes our portion and reward.

Though undoubtedly Abram was very grateful to the Lord for His protection and mercies, he opened up and honestly prayed to God with the disappointment in his heart that after all these years he was still childless.  He told God what good would any reward be if he had no children, and his only heir was a servant in his household (vs. 2-3).  He was basically telling the Lord that He had yet to fulfill His promises of many years ago.  Abram might have felt ignored, or even abandoned.  He felt that God’s promise of an heir had gone unheeded.  However, he never gave up his faith in Yahweh.  Faith doesn’t mean the absence of questions.  Abram’s honesty shows that God welcomes our doubts when they come, not with pride or unbelief, but instead with honest humility.

The Lord responded with a renewal of the promise He had originally made with Abram.  He stated that Abram’s heir would not be his servant Eliezer, but would be a child of his own (vs. 4).  Yahweh proceeded to reaffirm this promise by giving Abram a visual illustration.  He brought Abram outside of his tent at night, away from any lights from the lanterns or fire pits, out where it was very dark and pointed out the millions of stars (vs 5).  There were way too many to begin counting.  God promised Abram that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars.  Astronomers have calculated that there are trillions of stars just in our own galaxy, the Milky Way, let alone the estimated trillions of other galaxies out there.  His descendants would be just as numerous, but as yet he didn’t have even one.  God’s promises often require patience.  He doesn’t share our urgency or our wanting things immediately.

How could God make the statement that Abram’s descendants would be as the stars in the heavens or the dust on the earth? (Genesis 13:16)  God was referring not only to the physical descendants he would have, the Jewish people, but also to the countless spiritual descendants Abraham would have.  The Bible tells us that everyone who has accepted Jesus as their Savior is now a descendant of Abraham through faith.  We read that in Galatians 3:7-9, and also Galatians 3:29.

Our Scripture passage closes with a very important verse.  Verse 6 is a foundational verse for the doctrine of justification by faith.  Paul quotes this in both Romans 4:3 and Galatians 3:6, along with James quoting it in James 2:23.  Abram was declared righteous, not because of any good works that he did, but by believing God’s promise.  Salvation has always been by faith.  Abram’s belief in God’s Word was credited as righteousness, just as we are justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross for our sins.

In closing, we see that Abram waited for years before he and his wife had their son Isaac.  God’s promises are sure, even when there is a delay.  Abram believed despite not seeing the fulfilment right then.  Faith rests on God’s character, not on the circumstances.  Just as Abram was justified by faith, so are we through Jesus Christ alone, not by any good deeds we may do.  And like Abram, we can trust that Yahweh is our shield and reward, greater than any earthly possession.

Building Bigger Barns

Luke 12:13-21

Have you ever known someone who thinks only of money, making or obtaining more and more of it.  They never seem to be satisfied, always wanting a bit more, and then again a little bit more.  Maybe you are like that.  We all know that we need enough to put a roof over our head, food on the table, and clothes on our back.  We need to provide for our family.  There is nothing wrong with desiring enough money to provide for that.  However when wanting more and more seems to take over, there is a problem.  The Lord Jesus told a parable about just such a man.  Let’s see what He has to tell us today.

One day, as Luke recounts in his Gospel, a man came up to Jesus and asked Him to tell his brother to split the inheritance with him (vs. 13-15).  He wanted his share of what their deceased father left to the family.  In a Jewish family during Biblical times the eldest son inherited a double portion.  Perhaps this man was a younger son, and wanted more than he was entitled to under Jewish law.  Whatever the specific situation was, this man was impatient and wanted as much money as he could get, and wanted it right then.  He thought Jesus might resolve his dispute in his favor, but he was wrong.

This man’s heart was focused on worldly gain rather than spiritual truth.  If he had ever really listened to what Jesus had to say throughout His ministry, he would know that this was not a request one would make to the Lord.    Jesus’ mission was spiritual, not political or economic.  Maybe this man had mounting bills and was worried.  The extra money would help, if only his brother would give it.  There is such a thing as “greed based worry” which Jesus is referring to when he spoke to this man.  It is being greedy over security to where we worry about it.  We continually want a little bit more so that we don’t have to worry.  God will give us what we need in order to live for Him each day.  Wanting more than that is a type of greed.

Jesus warned His listeners, and us today as well, to beware of being covetous, desiring to have what someone else has.  Being covetous is breaking one of the Ten Commandments, and the Bible also says it is a form of idolatry (Colossians 3:5).  It replaces trust in God with trust in material wealth.  A fulfilled life is found in Jesus Christ, not in possessions.

The Lord then proceeded to tell the crowds a parable about greed and covetousness (vs. 16-21).  A wealthy landowner’s ground was producing an exceptionally large and abundant harvest, possibly for multiple years, and he had become rather wealthy.  His barns and storage facilities were not large enough, so he decided to tear them down and build bigger barns.  With his immense wealth, he planned on living well, living “the good life”.  This man repeatedly used the words “I” and “my”, showing very self-centered thinking.  He wanted to control his future, ignoring God’s sovereignty, equating material security with peace and satisfaction.

However, little did this rich man know that God was going to give His verdict on his life that very night.  He died that night, and then who got all of the riches he had so greedily accumulated?  The man was a fool, not because he was rich, but because he was not rich towards God.  He had provided for himself but not for others.  He provided for his body but not his spirit, and he provided for this life but not the one to come.  The man was wealthy in this world, but he died with a bankrupt soul.  He tried so hard to keep all that he had, and yet ended up with nothing of eternal value.

The antidote for greed is being rich towards God.  This means investing in eternal things such as faith, obedience to God’s Word, and generosity to others (I Timothy 6:17-19).  We do this by pursuing, appreciating, and loving God above all, where He remains our chief delight.

Covetousness is a sin.  It reflects a heart that is not submitted to God.  Wealth is not evil, but hoarding it selfishly is.  Jesus notices what we keep, as well as what we give.  Our real values in life are revealed by what we keep and what we give to others, whether it be time, money, or devotion.  Jesus watched when the widow gave her last pennies (Mark 12:41-44), and He saw when the rich man hoarded his wealth into bigger barns.

What about you?  Are you more concerned with earthly gain or with your eternal reward?  We need to trust in God to provide for our daily needs, and resist the pull of materialism.  As Jesus taught us here, be rich towards God. Invest in heavenly treasures and not in earthly ones.

Take Off the Old and Put On the New

Colossians 3:5-17

After a long day working in your garden under a hot sun, or perhaps working in a hot garage for many hours underneath your car, and then you come into your home, you will likely get out of your dirty clothes, take a shower, and then put on nice, clean clothes.  If a street urchin is adopted into a well-to-do family, like we see in the Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist, the child doesn’t remain in his ragged clothes.  Instead, he is given a closet full of nice clothes.  In our Scripture, the Apostle Paul tells the Colossian Christians that they need to take some things off, and put on something else.  Let’s take a look at what he is referring to.

As our Scripture reading begins, the Apostle Paul begins with a rather strong exhortation, that we are to put some behaviors to death (vs. 5-9).  In many of Paul’s epistles, he has told believers that their old, sinful nature has been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20).  It is put to death.  When the old, sinful behavior starts to crop up in our life, we are not to indulge in those actions any more, but instead Paul says to put them to death.  There must be an active, deliberate rejection of these sinful behaviors.  Many of these sins listed are not just external acts, but they are also internal attitudes which must also be put to death.  Our unsaved, flesh nature cannot be reformed.  It must be actively rejected.  Sanctification, the act of living the righteous life we have received through the Lord Jesus, is not optional.  It is the fruit of genuine salvation.

We also need to take special care with what we say, and eliminate all corruption of speech and emotion (vs. 8-9).  Our words are like a bell that has been rung.  Once it is rung, it cannot be un-rung, nor can the words which we say later be unsaid.  We need to be sure to eliminate all filthy talk, and also be careful to speak truthfully to each other.  All of these offensive behaviors are the dirty, filthy, smelly clothes that we are to take off.  No one wants to walk around in dirty, stinky clothes!

Now Paul tells us to put on the new man, the new clothing, which is in the image of the Lord Jesus (vs. 10).  When a new baby is born into a family, the relatives all look for some resemblance the baby might have to parents or grandparents.  We should expect to see some family resemblance between God and those who claim to be His children.  This resemblance is not automatic, it is intentional.  We must first accept Jesus as Savior, and then actively “take off the dirty clothes” and “put on the new clothes” if we are to become more like Him.  If you’ve been invited to an elegant banquet, you want to make sure you look appropriate.  Paul proceeds to list the godly behaviors and virtues that the Holy Spirit gives us when we are saved (vs. 12-14), virtues that we are to “put on” as we have “taken off” those sinful or worldly behaviors listed earlier.

One virtue that the apostle specifically mentions is forgiveness (vs. 13).  When we genuinely forgive, we give up all claims to punish or exact a penalty for an offense that was done to us.  God granted us forgiveness which we did not deserve and could not earn.  Unforgiveness is an emotional bondage that consumes the minds with offenses done to us, it distorts our emotions with thoughts of revenge, and it fills our hearts with churning unrest.  If we have an unforgiving heart, and we look to God to excuse that, we will hear Him answer for us to look to the cross.  There we will discover the price that was paid for our own forgiveness.

The Apostle Paul wraps up this Scripture with a call for God’s peace to rule in our hearts, and for grateful worship (vs. 15-17).  God’s peace should be like the umpire of our heart, guiding all of our decisions and relationships.  God’s Word is to dwell in us.  This is done by spending some time each day reading and studying the Bible.  Our worship should include the Scripture, along with singing of hymns and spiritual songs. Our worship services should not be an entertainment event, which is unfortunately the case in many churches today.  Many churches have become more like a rock concert than a worship of God!  Our worship should be doctrinal, reverent, and rooted in truth.

All of our actions should be done in the Name of Jesus, and because of this, we should be careful with what we do.  It is also very important that we are continually giving thanks to God.  The cure for many of our problems and even some illnesses is in frequent gratitude and praise to God.  Paul saw every activity and every endeavor as something for which we should thank God, and that we should do for His glory.

Let’s put off the old, dirty, filthy clothes of sin in our life, and put on the righteousness and virtues that we have received through our union with the Lord Jesus.  As we do that, we renew our mind through His Word, the Bible, and by forgiving and loving others as Jesus did for us, giving Him thanks and reverent worship.

The Risk of Trusting in Money

Psalm 49

I remember when I graduated high school, and then college, hearing some of my classmates talking about how one main goal of theirs was to get rich, get as much money as they could.  I don’t know if any of them achieved that goal.  Quite possibly a number of them did.  That seems to be the goal of so many people throughout all of history.  That is the topic of our psalm today, a look at people who trust in money, and what that leads to in the end.

Today’s psalm is one of eleven psalms that the Sons of Korah wrote.  These men were Levites who served in Temple worship in Jerusalem.  Their goal in this psalm was to show the people that desiring to accumulate a lot of money is a futile task, and also that what the end result will be.

As the Sons of Korah begin their psalm, they call out to the people, and not just the Jewish people, who would be their audience, but to all people, all the inhabitants of the world (vs. 1-4).  They call out to the aristocrats and the working class, to the rich and the poor.  God has a message for them, and no one is excluded.   God’s Word, His truth, is not reserved just for the elite, the educated, or the privileged.  The psalmist is offering God’s wisdom and truth here, which is accessible to all.  We can all read God’s Word, the Bible.  It has wisdom for all of us, regardless of our status.  The psalmist is bringing us some of that wisdom here, a message from the Lord in these verses.

We are told to listen.  “Hear this” our psalm says.  One message in this psalm is that all the money we could ever have will not redeem our soul nor that of any loved one (vs. 5-9).  One thing that is common among many very wealthy people is that they find their value in what they have acquired, and they look down on people poorer than themselves.  However, God tells us that all the money in the world cannot redeem our soul, which is ultimately the most important thing.  Scripture tells us that our eternal salvation cannot be bought.  Only the Blood of Jesus Christ can redeem us (I Peter 1:18-19).  When the rich come to the end of their life, if they have not turned to Jesus, they will face God’s judgment, and their money cannot sway Him.  We need to trust in Jesus Christ alone for redemption, not in any earthly riches or achievements we have.  They will do us no good at the time of our death.

There is a saying that “nothing is certain but death and taxes.”   Our psalm speaks the truth about the first part of that saying (vs. 10-14).  Until the Lord Jesus returns, death is a certainty for everyone.  Death will come to the rich and to the poor, to the intellectual and the uneducated.  In death, everyone is equal, the billionaire will lie in the morgue right next to a homeless person, no difference, equally a dead corpse.  All worldly glory is gone then.  All of our wealth will mean nothing then.  Knowing that, we should live our life with eternity in view, and instead of working to accumulate earthly wealth, we should instead be concerned with storing treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).

A key verse in this psalm is verse 15.  This is the psalm’s turning point, as it affirms the psalmist’s, and all believers, hope in the resurrection and eternal life.  Eternal life is a gift from God, and is secured by the shed Blood of the Lord Jesus, not through anything we do, and not purchased through someone’s wealth.  Jesus promised that those who believe and trust in Him will have eternal life (John 11:25-26), thus the psalmist could have this confidence.

Our psalm finishes up with a final warming against materialism (vs. 16-20).  If we are not reading and studying God’s Word, if we have no understanding or spiritual discernment, then how are we any better than an animal?  True understanding comes from the Bible, and if we reject that, then we are on the path to eternal ruin.  We need to be pursuing the wisdom of God’s Word.  Instead of envying the wealthy, we should be seeking spiritual riches.

Looking back over our psalm, we see that God’s truth, His Word the Bible, is for everyone.  It doesn’t matter whether one is rich, poor, or in-between.  It is for people from every nation and race.  It is not just for the privileged or any one certain nationality.  It is important to know that riches cannot redeem or save anyone.  Once we die we can’t take any riches with us.  They are worthless in the afterlife.  Until the day that Jesus returns, we all will die, and our only hope is in the Lord Jesus, who offers us eternal life, and who alone can redeem us from the grave.

Having An Empty Or A Meaningful Life

Ecclesiastes 1:12-14, 2:1-23

Ecclesiastes is an interesting book in the Old Testament.  It was written by Solomon, the son of David who followed him as king, and who built the Temple in Jerusalem.  King Solomon was said to be both extremely wealthy, and also quite wise.  He wrote much of the Book of Proverbs, along with Song of Solomon (also called Song of Songs), along with some Psalms.  Solomon likely wrote Ecclesiastes later in his life, when he was an older man.  In this book of the Bible, he reflects on life, on the emptiness and futility of living a life apart from God and having a relationship with Him.  From a man who could have anything and everything he wanted, let’s see what he says in today’s Scripture.

As our Scripture begins, Solomon identifies himself as the king of Israel in Jerusalem, and also as a Preacher (vs 1:12).  When we look at that, these are both positions of someone that we should listen to, someone who has something important to say.  As he wrote this towards the end of his life, he looked back and saw that all of the things that people pursue and run after in life tend to be “vanity and grasping for the wind.” (vs. 1:14).  When the word “vanity” is used in the Bible, it implies a sense of emptiness and futility.  It emphasizes the meaninglessness of a life lived without God.

Solomon found this out in his life, and now as an older man, he sought to warn others so that they would not fall into the same trap.  As the king goes on to write chapter 2, he describes his attempts at finding meaning and pleasure in life, each one only bringing futility and vanity to his soul.  Despite all the different things he tried, things to bring pleasure, to achieve accomplishments, and different types of work, nothing brought him any lasting satisfaction.

At first Solomon sought meaning in a life filled with mirth, filled with gaiety and pleasure (vs. 2:1-2).  Perhaps, as king, he might have brought into his royal court some of the latest comedians of the day.  However, without God it was all senseless.  He then turned to alcohol (vs. 2:3), seeking to “gratify my flesh with wine.”.  As anyone who has ever gone that route knows, that can only lead to ruin.  Fortunately Solomon realized that before he became an alcoholic.  Then he turned to both architecture and horticulture (vs. 2:4-6).  Both of these are very worthwhile pursuits, but if one doesn’t have God in their life, it is vanity.  He sought meaning with an accumulation of wealth (vs. 2:7-11), with piling up of gold and silver, of servants, livestock, and musicians.  Whatever his eyes saw, if he wanted it, he got it.  However, he repeats that none of this brought him any satisfaction.

Here in chapter 2, and throughout the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon speaks about things being done “under the sun”.  This refers to life from a purely earthly perspective.  Without God guiding what we do in life, even wisdom and pleasure become empty pursuits, as Solomon found out.  Solomon had unmatched wisdom (I Kings 4:29-34), yet even he found it insufficient to explain life’s deepest questions.  Intellectual pursuits, apart from God, lead to sorrow and frustration.

As Solomon continues with his ponderings, he realizes, like we all do, that both the wise and the fool die alike (vs. 2:14-16).  The same with the rich and the poor.  They both come to the same end.  This exposes the meaninglessness of living just for earthly gain.  Solomon then laments that one may work wisely all their life, accumulating a nice bank account, but then leave it to someone who will just squander it (vs. 2:18-23).  This shows the vanity of having worldly ambitions and building a legacy apart from God.

As we come to the close of this Scripture passage, what can we learn from Solomon’s lifetime pursuits of happiness and meaning?  As he found out late in life, all that he went after in life was meaningless since none of it was rooted in God.  True meaning is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The answer to having an empty and futile life is not more effort, but surrendering to God’s will and having an eternal perspective which Solomon says in the last words of this book (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Finding pleasure in our life, in our work, interests, and hobbies is not sinful, but as Solomon learned, it cannot be our foundation.  Having fullness of joy is found in God (Psalm 16:11).  As St. Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:2, we need to set our minds on things above, heavenly and spiritual things, not on things of this earth.  When our goals have eternal value, not just earthly satisfaction, then our life won’t be one of just emptiness and frustration, but instead will be one with a deep, eternal purpose.  A life walking with Jesus is greater than anything the world has to offer.

Ask, Seek, and Knock

Luke 11:5-13

Have you ever felt that God just doesn’t hear your prayers?  I think that many Christians have felt that way at one time or another.  Does God hear our prayers, and will He answer?  In our Scripture today from the Gospel of Luke, we read what the Lord Jesus had to say about this.  Let’s take a quick look at this passage.

Immediately prior to these verses, the disciples had come to Jesus, asking Him to teach them to pray, and He proceeded to give them the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4).  Jesus then continued by teaching them, using a very brief parable, some important lessons about prayer, specifically the need to be persistent in prayer, and also showing the goodness of God.

The short parable gives a scenario that many of the people could relate to, that of a man who has some sudden, and unexpected visitors who arrive at the house quite late at night (vs. 5-8).  In Bible days, hospitality was extremely important, no matter what the hour or how unexpected the guests may be.  And if the host didn’t have all the necessary provisions, it wasn’t unusual to ask a neighbor for some help.  In this instance, though, the neighbor did not want to get up and help, and basically told his friend to get lost.  However, the man was not going to go back home empty-handed, with nothing to feed his guests.  That would be unthinkable.  So instead he keeps knocking, and keeps knocking until his neighbor gets up and helps him, just to stop the pounding on the door.

What does Jesus teach here?  He tells us that when we pray, we need to be persistent and not give up, just like the man with unexpected visitors was.  God honors persistent, faithful prayer.  This isn’t because He is reluctant to answer our prayers, but instead because He desires us to seek Him earnestly (I Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:16).

Jesus teaches us that in prayer we need to ask, to seek, and to knock, and keep on doing so until we receive an answer (vs. 9-10).  Each of these words - ask, seek, and knock are written as present tense verbs, which implies that there is ongoing action.  Jesus promises us that those who ask in prayer will receive, those who seek will find, and those who knock will have doors opened.  This does not mean that we have free reign to demand that all of our selfish desires be granted.  We are to have faith-filled, God-centered prayers, prayers that reflect our active dependence on Him.  If we come to God in prayer with the right motives, putting first the Kingdom of God, and if we live for Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).

If we want God to respond to our prayers, we must meet some conditions.  First we must have a right relationship with Jesus Christ by trusting Him as Savior.  God is not under any obligation to answer the prayers of the unsaved, except the prayer of salvation.  And after salvation we must not live an ungodly life (Psalm 66:18).  Secondly, We must make right requests, asking according to God’s will (I John 5:14).  If the neighbor had been asked for a large sum of money, it likely would not have been answered.  Instead he asked for what he needed, bread, and it was granted.  Lastly, we should pray specifically and with confidence.  Remember, we serve a God who answers prayer.

Jesus then contrasted earthly fathers with God, our Heavenly Father (vs. 11-13).  Most fathers will make sure that their children have all that they need if they are able to provide it.  And if their child asks for something they need, a good father will try to provide it.  Even sinful men give good gifts to their children, so how much more will God give the Holy Spirit to those who ask!  God is a benevolent and holy God.  The Holy Spirit is the ultimate gift, empowering believers to live godly lives (Galatians 5:22-23; John 14:26).

Looking back over this Scripture passage, we see that when our need is urgent, we can approach God boldly in prayer, especially in times of crisis.  He is not reluctant to answer us, yet He invites persistence in prayer.  We can trust God’s faithfulness to answer.  Though our earthly fathers may give us good gifts, God, our Heavenly Father’s nature is even more generous.

We should keep on praying and trusting that God will graciously and generously supply what we need.  So let’s keep on asking, seeking, and knocking.  Jesus will answer!