LUKE 11:1-13
ARE YOUR PRAYERS
ANSWERED? MINE DON'T SEEM TO BE, AT LEAST NOT THE WAY I'D LIKE THEM
TO BE.
WE JUST HEARD LUKE'S
VERSION OF THE LORD'S PRAYER. THE ONE WE ARE USED TO IS FROM
MATTHEW; IT IS LONGER AND A BIT MORE COMPLEX. I IMAGINE THAT IN THE
EARLIEST DAYS OF THE CHURCH, THERE WERE MANY VARIATIONS OF THE LORD'S
PRAYER; AFTER ALL, WHAT HE HAD TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES WAS A WAY OF
PRAYING, NOT A PRAYER; AND HE HAD TAUGHT THEM IN ARAMAIC, A VERY
DIFFERENT LANGUAGE THAN GREEK AND LATIN, AND CERTAINLY ENGLISH. AND
IN THE GOSPEL PASSAGE WE JUST HEARD, JESUS TALKS ABOUT TWO OTHER
THINGS, PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER, AND THE CERTAINTY THAT GOD WILL GIVE
HIS SPIRIT TO THOSE WHO ASK FOR IT.
MOST OF THE TIME WHEN WE
PRAY, WE PRAY FOR THINGS. WE HAD A SESSION IN THIS CHURCH TWO WEEKS
AGO WHEN WE ALL PRAYED FOR FATHER GORNY. IT IS STARTING TO LOOK LIKE
OUR PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED; EARLY ON HE WASN'T EXPECTED TO MAKE IT,
AND NOW HE'S MAKING PROGRESS. AND WE PRAY FOR OTHER THINGS, WE PRAY
FOR HEALING, WE PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY – SOMETIMES WE EVEN PRAY THAT
OUR GOLF GAME WILL BE IMPROVED OR THAT WE'LL FIND A SPECIAL DEAL ON A
CAR WE'D LIKE TO BUY. AND THE APOSTLES KNEW HOW TO PRAY THOSE
PRAYERS. WHEN THEY ASKED JESUS TO TEACH THEM TO PRAY, I'M SURE THEY
HAD PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE WITH PRAYER; AFTER ALL THEY'D PRAYED IN
SYNAGOGUE; AND THEY'D PROBABLY PRAYED FOR THINGS LIKE WE DO – A
GOOD CATCH WHILE OUT FISHING; THAT THE TAX COLLECTOR WOULDN'T BE TOO
HARD ON THEM; THAT ISRAEL WOULD ONE DAY BE FREE OF ROMAN OPPRESSION.
BUT THEY KNEW AS WE KNOW, THAT ASKING GOD FOR THINGS DOESN'T SEEM TO
WORK VERY WELL. SURE, WE CAN POINT TO TIMES WHEN IT SEEMED AS THOUGH
GOD ANSWERED OUR PRAYERS, BUT WE CAN POINT TO A LOT MORE TIMES WHEN
THE ANSWER WAS, “SORRY, NO.”
SO I CAN SEE WHY THE
APOSTLES WANTED JESUS TO TEACH THEM HOW TO PRAY. THEY MIGHT HAVE
NOTICED THAT WHEN JESUS PRAYED FOR SOMETHING, IT HAPPENED; WHEN HE
PUT HIS HANDS ON A SICK PERSON, THEY GOT BETTER; WHEN HE TOLD THE
WIND AND THE WAVES TO QUIET DOWN, THEY DID. WHAT WAS HIS SECRET?
AND THE PRAYER JESUS GAVE
THEM CONTAINED PETITIONS, YES, BUT NONE THAT COULD ACTUALLY BE
MEASURED. IF WE PRAY THAT GOD'S NAME BE HALLOWED, HOW CAN WE TELL?
IF WE PRAY THAT HIS KINGDOM COME, WELL, WHEN? IF WE PRAY THAT HE
FORGIVE OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS, IF WE PRAY THAT HE NOT
LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION, IF WE PRAY THAT HE DELIVER US FROM EVIL, WE
CAN'T TELL IF OUR PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED OR NOT. IF EVIL HAPPENS,
WELL, IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE.
BUT DO YOU NOTICE THAT
ALL THESE PETITIONS ARE NOT SO MUCH REQUESTS OF GOD, BUT US TRYING TO
TUNE OURSELVES TO GOD'S WAVE LENGTH. THESE ARE PRAYERS THAT WILL BE
ANSWERED – BECAUSE GOD IS GOOD, BECAUSE GOD IS ALL POWERFUL,
BECAUSE GOD'S PLAN FOR THE UNIVERSE WILL TAKE PLACE. THE LORD'S
PRAYER IS OUR ATTEMPT TO PUT ON THE MIND OF GOD.
AND YOU NOTICE I LEFT OUT
A PETITION – GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. THE WORD WE
TRANSLATE AS “BREAD” IS “HOCHMA” WHICH MEANS MORE THAN FOOD;
IT MEANS WHAT WE NEED TO LIVE. GIVE US TODAY WHAT WE NEED TODAY TO
LIVE, TO BECOME COMPLETE, TO BE WHAT YOU WANT US TO BE. AND MAYBE
THAT'S NOT BREAD, MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE. BUT GOD WILL GIVE IT
TO US, AND OUR PRAYER IS THAT WE WILL ACCEPT WHAT GOD GIVES US,
BECAUSE WE TRUST HIM. AND THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT THIS
PETITION. WE ASK EACH DAY FOR WHAT WE NEED THAT DAY; WE DON'T THINK
ABOUT THE FUTURE OR THE PAST; AND IN ASKING AND BEING ASSURED THAT WE
WILL RECEIVE WHAT WE NEED TODAY, WE ENJOY THE GIFT OF TODAY, WHATEVER
IT BRINGS.
THE LORD'S PRAYER IS NOT
A LIST OF REQUESTS; IT IS AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT GOD'S WILL, HIS
PURPOSE, HIS PLAN, WILL TAKE PLACE. NO WAY AROUND IT. AND WHEN I
PRAY THE LORD'S PRAYER, I AM REALLY ASKING, MAKE ME WANT WHAT YOU
WANT. WHEN I PRAY THIS PRAYER, I AM GUARANTEED WHAT I PRAY FOR.
JESUS TELLS US THE STORY
OF A MAN WHO BANGS ON THE DOOR OF HIS FRIEND ASKING FOR BREAD.
EVENTUALLY THE FRIEND OPENS THE DOOR, IF NOT BECAUSE OF THE
FRIENDSHIP, BECAUSE OF THE PERSISTENCE. WHAT IF THE MAN BANGING ON
THE DOOR IS GOD, AND WE ARE THE PERSON IN THE HOUSE, THE DOOR LOCKED,
OUR LITTLE WORLD ALL SECURE? AND GOD WILL NOT BE DENIED, GOD WILL
BANG AWAY, BECAUSE HE WANTS TO ENTER IN AND TAKE WHAT WE HAVE AND
CHANGE US AND SHARE HIS LIFE WITH US. AND THAT IS SCARY TO US,
BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT OUR WHOLE LIVES WILL BE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. WE
DON'T MIND BEING FRIENDS WITH GOD, WE DON'T MIND MEETING HIM ON THE
STREET AND SAYING HELLO. BUT TO INVITE HIM INTO OUR HOMES, INTO OUR
HEARTS, TO TURN OUR LIVES OVER TO HIM, THAT WE PROBABLY DO MIND. WE
WANT OUR GOD IN SMALL DOSES, NOT IN A GREAT BIG EXPLOSION.
JESUS ENDS THE GOSPEL BY
SAYING SOMETHING VERY PROFOUND; IF YOU, BEING EVIL, KNOW HOW TO GIVE
YOUR CHILDREN GOOD THINGS, DOESN'T THE ALL GOOD GOD GIVE THE SPIRIT
TO THOSE WHO ASK FOR IT?
THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF
PRAYER IS TO ALIGN OURSELVES WITH GOD. THE CONSEQUENCES OF ALIGNING
OURSELVES WITH GOD IS TO OPEN OURSELVES UP TO MYSTERY, TO
UNCERTAINTY, TO BEING LED BY HIM RATHER THAN RUNNING OUR OWN LIVES –
AND THAT IS TRULY FRIGHTENING. BUT IN THE END, WE HAVE THE ASSURANCE
OF JESUS HIMSELF THAT GOD WANTS THE BEST FOR US, THAT IF WE ASK, HE
WILL GIVE US HIS SPIRIT – AND HIS SPIRIT IS HIS VERY LIFE, THE SAME
SPIRIT THAT OVERSHADOWED THE BLESSED MOTHER AND BROUGHT JESUS INTO
THE WORLD.
SO ARE OUR PRAYERS
ANSWERED? IF WE PRAY AS JESUS TAUGHT US, YES. BECAUSE IF WE PRAY
WITH THE PURPOSE OF SEEKING TO LIVE IN HIS WILL, IF WE PRAY WITH A
SENSE OF GRATITUDE FOR WHATEVER WE ARE GIVEN TODAY, IF WE PRAY WITH
CONFIDENCE THAT WE WILL BE GIVEN THE SPIRIT BY OUR LOVING FATHER, OUR
PRAYERS WILL BE ANSWERED – BECAUSE THE PRAYER OF THE CHRISTIAN, THE
PRAYER THAT LIES BENEATH ALL THE OTHER PRAYERS, IS THAT WE BE
TRANSFORMED INTO OTHER CHRISTS, THAT WE BE GIVEN A SHARE IN THE LIFE
OF CHRIST, LIFE ETERNAL.
