2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV
[21] God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Being righteous, when we pray and talk to the Father, our prayers are "powerful and effective."
James 5:16 NIV
[16] Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Also, when we pray and "make our requests known to God," He will not withhold any good thing from us and He will give "good and perfect gifts" to us, His children.
Psalms 84:11 NIV
[11] For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
Psalms 34:10 NIV
[10] The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
James 1:17 NIV
[17] Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
So, in today's passage, Jesus is telling us to be persistent in prayer for whatever we need from the Father. Keep talking to God about it in prayer, over and over again. He will give it to us just like the man in the parable gave his friend what he needed because of his persistence.
Luke 11:5-13 NIV
[5] Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; [6] a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ [7] And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ [8] I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. [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. [10] For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one 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? [12] Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? [13] If 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!”
Jesus also explained this on the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew.
Matthew 7:7-11 NIV
[7] “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. [8] For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. [9] “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? [11] If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
God wants to give us "good gifts." He wants us to persist in asking Him for whatever we need because this shows we are solely dependent upon Him. Pray and ask over and over, then have faith and "believe you have received it" and "it will be yours."
Mark 11:24 NIV
[24] Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Look here:
James 4:2b. NIV
[2b.]...You do not have because you do not ask God.
He will give us good gifts. So whatever it is, ASK and be persistent!!
He will never let us down. Ever.
Love you. Share with others.
Jeffrey Post
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