⁵Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’

⁷“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

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.¹⁰For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him 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? ¹²Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³If 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!”

Luke 11:5-13 (NIV)

There were two things we can see on this passage.

Importunity

When defined, “Unreasonableness; an unsuitable or inappropriate time; A constant and insistent demanding”. This was the word used on the King James Version on verse 8. It wasn’t actually the friendship that pushed the man to get up and give his friend bread, but rather the friend’s ‘continual asking’ for bread. When he was turned down, he didn’t lose hope and he continued to knock on the door. We don’t know how long he knocked, but for sure he knocked and asked until his friend gave in, probably realizing how this man is in deep need. Take note, it wasn’t the friendship that was considered here, it was the asker’s continuous asking.

Father and Child

Verses 11 – 13 shows a relationship of a father and a child when it comes to asking. For parents out there, you’ll definitely know what this passage says. I know you’ll agree with me that sometimes, even though we had said no to our child about something that he asks, we do sometimes give in to what they ask. How much more if they were asking for something that isn’t bad. And we definitely want the best for our children.

Putting it all together

Knock, not just a single knock, but a continuous knock. Don’t just pray once, pray continuously. When we ask for something from God, and we weren’t able to get an answer right away, don’t stop, continue asking. Knock until the door is opened for you for he promised that he will open the door for us (verse 9b).

Do we even bother to knock, ask or seek? Many Christians now says “God already knows what I need”. Yes, that’s true, but he also said that we should ask for it. This is our act of faith to him. And like a father to his child, he will definitely listen to us. And we also forget that he is a “Father” to us, a Father who wants the best for his children. When we pray, pray to the “Father”, and like a child, be importunate, and be consistent. Don’t be discouraged easily. Ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.

God bless.

(Good news) His wife’s operation (caesarean section) was successful. They have a new baby boy.

(Sad news) His mother died this morning (Manila Time) from cancer.

Please continue to pray for them. That God comfort them and give them strength.

Thanks.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Please pray for Rev. Prince Santos and his family. His mother was diagnosed to have a bone cancer and her condition is not good. She suffered before from a different cancer and was treated through chemotherapy. Now she developed cancer of the bone.

At the same time, his wife, Melai, is scheduled for a caesarean section for their second child.

Please pray for healing and provision for their family. Pray that God would give them hope and strength in this time of trials.

Thanks.

Soli Deo Gloria.

With this incident, I felt angry, sad, and troubled. But God is teaching me through this event. I realized I am missing a few very important responsibilities. I am a the head of our family (a husband and a father), but I wasn’t able to conduct prayer/devotion time, tithing and sincere dedication to God’s ministry. I was so occupied by my job, internet, computer, CSI, etc, that I am using these things as an excuse to not do my/our responsibilities to God. After a long time, my wife and I prayed before I went to work. And honestly, tears are flowing from my eyes (and hers). And she told me she’s happy cause we were able to pray again (as a family). And I felt God moved that time, my burden was lightened (though I still feel troubled by what happened, I already accepted the reality).

I wish I was able to copy pictures and phonebook entries from that phone. Just lost a lot of photos.

But as my favorite CSI character says (Gill Grissom): “let go and move on”.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)