By Derek Murphy
In Luke 11, Jesus taught his disciples to pray. They asked him “Lord, teach us to pray”
Jesus responded with The Lords prayer, but he follows up with something unique in the book of Luke. He tells his disciples to have shameless audacity in their prayers.
“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[e] 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.” —Luke 11:5-10 NIV
Can you think of a time you showed up at your neighbors house at midnight asking for anything? I can’t. I occasionally send my children to the neighbors to ask for a cup of flour, but in the middle of the night? Absolutely not!
I have to imagine this is an emergency in the ancient world. Hospitality was of the utmost importance, and still is in the part of the world where Jesus spoke these words. For me, I could imagine knocking on my neighbors door at midnight if I needed to take my wife to the hospital and I had no other place to turn. In that moment, I would be desperate for help watching my kids.
Audacious prayers are desperate prayers
Where do you feel desperate right now in your life?
Take a moment of silent reflection to ask God what you need to know about this area of desperation in your life.
How do you need God to show up in your moment of desperation?
It’s important to remember that Jesus didn’t leave the person in the story with their need. That need pressed the individual in this parable to do the unthinkable. To walk to his neighbors and ask for bread, even though his neighbor was already sleeping. God is inviting us to do the same. He wants to know where we need him to show up in our lives.
Remember, in this story the request is not shameless, it’s the way the person goes about asking for it. In particular the time of day.
What would it look like for you to ask God to provide with shameless audacity?
Any request to God might seem audacious for us, but Jesus’ encouragement to ask with audacity should tell us something. He is saying there is no such thing as a wrong time, or too much frequency with God. God wants to hear our requests and He wants to come alongside us in our moment of desperation.
8 But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord;
in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.
9 Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers,
from the snares they have laid for me.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by in safety. —Psalm 141:8-10 NIV
Write out your top three audacious prayers this week
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Luke 11:9 NIV