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[expand title=”Devotion Text”]Luke 11:5-8
And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.”
In this story that Jesus told, why did the man finally get up and give his friend three loaves of bread? He gave the persistent friend the bread “because of his impudence” a word that means, “boldness.” Throughout the prayers of Scripture, this idea of being bold before God comes up over and over again. Here are some examples.
Abraham prayed boldly when he asked God to spare the righteous in Sodom.
Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
-Genesis 18:25
Moses prayed boldly after the golden calf incident.
But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people.”
-Exodus 32.11-12
Jesus instructed us to pray boldly. In today’s passage, Jesus teaches us to pray with persistence. Ask God to do great things. He gives good gifts to his children; always exactly what we need and when we need it.
This is not an instruction for presumptuous prayer. After all, God knows the beginning from the end. We only know what just happened. But Jesus tells us to pray bold, persistent, and confident prayers. Ask and he promises to answer you. Seek and he promises you will find exactly what you need. Knock and he promises the right doors will open. Pray boldly!
Talking Points
- What desires has God placed on your heart? Pray boldly for them.
- Pray boldly for your children and grandchildren. Pray that they will follow hard after Jesus.
Father, teach us to pray. We never want to be presumptuous. Your Word says that we should be persistent. Teach us to pray reverently, humbly, and boldly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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