Ask, Seek, Knock: A Meditation on Luke 11 for the 7th Sunday after Pentecost

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place,

 when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him,

Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

 

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say,

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

…

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you;

seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;

and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone?

or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children:

 how much more shall your heavenly Father

give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

 

In Luke 11, the disciples sensed a deficiency in themselves which they asked Jesus to fill by teaching them to pray.  Matthew records some additional details on this same encounter, but what is clear is Jesus’ immediate response to their request.  He taught them to make holy the Name of the Lord, and to recognize Him as their true Father; to pray for His Kingdom and will to be present among them; to receive their daily needs of body and soul; to receive forgiveness as freely as they would offer it to others; to be delivered from the paths of temptation and the wiles of the evil one.  These elements of prayer were wrapped up in His teaching that God, being good and the giver of all good gifts, far outshines any echoes of generosity exchanged between fallen men, even in the most tender of human relationships.  Jesus, in answering the disciples’ prayer that He would teach them to pray, answered their prayer with even more than they asked for:  not only did He give them a model for how to approach the King of the Universe with the burdens of their hearts, but He showed them how much their King loved them, and desired to do good for them.  The invitation to ask, to seek, and to knock would always be answered by God in ways far beyond even the best and most pious anticipations of mortals.

 

We might think it odd today that anyone would ask Jesus to teach them to pray, but it is, I think, a natural desire of every fallen heart to find a lost communion with their Maker, even when they have no idea how to do so.  Everything that exists has its origin, sustenance, and fulfillment in the God who created heaven and earth—all things, seen and unseen—and at some very deep level yearns for a compassionate connection with Him.  In the fall of man we distorted that connection by our own rebellion, and God has been at work restoring it ever since, ultimately in the life, death, and resurrection of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  In the simplicity of the disciples’ request that Jesus teach them to pray, there is a window into the whole human condition; a plaintive and desperate search for reconciliation with God, which God alone can give to them.  The disciples knew that they lacked something in their relationship with God, and they knew in at least some rudimentary way at this stage of their journey, that Jesus was the one who could fill that deficit.  On the other side of Easter and the blessing of Pentecost, they would come to know that fulfillment in ways that outpaced their every expectation.

 

It can be easy to rattle off the Lord’s Prayer without even considering the words we have spoken, or the God to whom we speak them.  The prayer Jesus taught His disciples was not a talisman or magic device to be used to adorn walls, or chanted repetitiously in some ancient ritual.  The Prayer was not intended to manipulate God to our fallen will, but to teach the disciples that God’s disposition toward them was already one of love and grace for Jesus’ sake, and that they should be transformed in that love and grace to reflect Him.  Most certainly, God’s Name is holy everywhere, at all times, throughout all creation—but the disciples are called to hallow that Name among themselves; God’s Kingdom has always reigned, and it shall come according to God’s good will and timing—but the disciples are taught to ask for that Kingdom to be present and manifest among them right there, right now; the will of God will always be done, and there is no force in all creation which can stop Him—but the disciples are lead to actively live in that will, to be part of that will, and to have their own wills conformed to His will, on earth as are the hosts of heaven; it is God who always provides the source of life to all His creatures—but the disciples are taught to seek in faith the nourishment of their souls from Him who alone gives them life; it is God alone who can forgive the sins of fallen man—but the disciples are led to take the forgiveness they are given, and give it to others as freely as they have received it from their Savior; God is never the author of temptation, nor is the evil one ever victor over Him—but the disciples are taught to find their guidance and victory over sin, death, hell, and the power of the devil through Christ alone.  This model of prayer is pure Gospel, leading the penitent and humble heart by faith to receive in grace all the good gifts our loving God has prepared for us through His Son.

 

We should not be surprised, either by the depth of riches Jesus provided to His disciples through His teaching on prayer, nor by the way fallen people have misused or ignored it over the centuries.  As in Jesus’ day when He walked around Judea with His disciples, or in our day when He walks among His disciples in every land, He continues to teach every willing heart and lead every broken sinner back to fellowship with their Maker.  Jesus alone could make the satisfaction necessary to restore that broken fellowship each and every soul longs to receive, and only in Jesus is the longing of every heart to commune with God made whole.  Jesus alone has stood between us and the judgment we so rightly deserve, and Jesus alone has risen victorious over every foe of mankind.  Only Jesus has received the totality of the Kingdom of God from His Father, and only Jesus is the Eternal Word of the Father speaking forgiveness, life, and salvation to all who will put their trust in Him.  Only Jesus is both the teacher and the fulfiller of prayer to God, so that everyone who askes of Him shall receive, all who seek of Him shall find, making His Father’s Kingdom an open portal to all who knock upon the doors in faith and repentance.  Every generation has much to learn from Jesus their Savior, not least the answer to our heart’s travail in learning how to pray.

 

Hear the Word of the Lord Jesus come to you today, that you might learn more deeply of the love which seeks, saves, and leads you into that divine fellowship for which you were made.  Hear the words of Jesus’ echo through your own heart, mind, and mouth as you pray the prayer He has taught His people, that your own soul might be enlivened by Him, and His Words become your words.  Then by grace through faith, risen and restored and free, become the instrument of His Words to all around you.  Soli Deo Gloria!  Amen.