HAVING given his disciples a model prayer to pray, Jesus goes on to encourage his disciples to persevere in prayer, and to encourage his disciples the engage in prayer.

At first, when we read these verses, and specially the parable that Jesus tells, we may be inclined to think that the parable teaches that Jesus is rather like the friend being asked for the loan of bread, who is in bed and is reluctant to get up to answer the plea of the friend who has come at midnight to get a loan of bread for himself and his guests. However this is not the emphasis of the parable when we apply the application which jesus gives in the teaching which follows. There are two applications which Jesus makes to this parable. Let us turn our minds to the meaning of the parable that they reveal.

I would direct your attention first of all to the second application of the parable which is found in verses 11 to 13. Here Jesus contrasts human response to requests for help with the response of God our heavenly Father. He contrasts the response of a human father with that of our heavenly Father. Christ's argument is that we would not expect an earthly father, when requested for food, to then respond with mockery of giving something harmful and nasty. An earthly father, when asked for fish to eat, would not respond by giving a snake; or when requested for an egg, would give a scorpion. Even earthly fathers, as far as they are able, give good gifts to their children. Then Jesus responds by saying if human beings, who are sinners, that is 'being evil', give good gifts to their children; how much more will our heavenly Father, who is all good and loving, give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. The argument is that sinful human beings usually give good things, and so even the friend in the parable was persuaded to give the bread asked for, therefore we may be sure that God, as our heavenly Father, will give the best to his children, and so we should come in prayer with faith believing our heavenly Father's love and good will towards us.

Then notice the response Jesus promises God, our Father in heaven, will give us in response to prayer for our needs. He gives the Holy Spirit. In other words he gives himself first as our Father who loves us, with all the joy of his presence and wise provision for our lives. From this we may be sure that, not only will our prayers be heard, but they will be answered, and answered in love that all things he works in us and for us will be for our good in time and eternity. Our faith rests in our heavenly Father and his wise and good love for us, and not in getting whatever we may like, even if it is not good for us.

In the light of this the meaning of the para ble is that if sinful man can be brought to answer a request, we may be sure that God who is good and loving will most certainly answer our prayers. However we must notice that this applies to one sort of people only. This applies to those who know God as their Father, that is only those who have saving faith in Christ as redeemer from sin, and Saviour, and so have been reconciled to God as their heavenly Father.

The other application is in verses 9 and 10. Having told the parable, which describes a person not giving up praying for his need for bread when the answer was not given at first, but rather responded to in a very negative way, still goes on with his request until the request is granted. This is not to be interpreted as prayer being a tool whereby we bully or worry God with our petitions until he gives us what we ask to get us off his back; but rather as an encouragement to persevere in prayer even if at first our prayer seems to be unheard and unanswered.

The truth is that many of us, if not most, tend to give up praying very easily, and seem, by this neglect, to have little faith, and that we are not really serious about our request. Jesus is seeking to teach us perseverance in prayer. The Bible tells us so plainly that without faith we cannot please God. So much of our praying is weak in faith. It is so easy to pray with the thought in our minds deep down that our prayer will not be granted. Such coming to God in prayer is dishonouring to God to say the least. If we give up so easily when we make a request does it not suggest that we are not really earnest in our request.

The prime attitude in prayer must always be that God loves us as his redeemed children, and delights for us to come to him with our prayers; and as our loving heavenly Father, always has our good and best interests at heart. In such attitude we come with confidence that God is listening and our request will be dealt with according to his wise purposes, and in his eternal love for us.