Luke 11:5-10 NRSVue
5And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything out of friendship, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
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Further reflection
This guarantee that God will answer persistent prayer may move me in any one of a number of ways. It might excite and encourage me. It could, however, leave me feeling frustrated and dejected, depending on my past experience.
So, no matter how I'm feeling right now, I might ask the Lord for a deeper understanding of his call to perseverance in prayer.
What is he trying to teach me about myself and my relationship with God?
It is often at midnight, or in the small hours, that I most feel the need of God; but when I call on him then, he sometimes seems to be asleep on his watch. He does not hear me.
Lord, you tell me emphatically to persist, to keep battering at your door for myself and those I love. You tell me that prayer is not wasted: More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.