Praying Effectively

Luke 11:5-13

A young boy wanted a pocketknife. Knowing little about prayer except that the preacher said God would give what you asked for, the boy decided to ask God for one. Not wanting to be embarrassed, he went out behind the barn and began praying for a knife. He tried several times and nothing happened, but he remembered that the preacher always prayed very loudly. Maybe God was like his grandfather and didn’t hear well, so he began to pray louder. Finally, when he was shouting at the top of his lungs, a pocket knife came sliding off the barn roof to land close to him. His father had heard his prayer, and thrown his pocketknife over the barn to keep him from deciding it was a lie. For years, the boy thought that God was hard of hearing so if you wanted an answer, you had to pray really loud.

Throughout history, people have had different Ideas of what is needed to get God to respond to our prayers. Some of their ideas were extreme. In India, people would throw one of their children to the crocodiles, while the Incas cut a living person’s heart out and offered it to the sun. We’re told that the Ammonites burned their children alive to Molech.

Other religions have demanded a an offering of money or food. Sadly, some of these groups call themselves Christian. Acts 8:18-22 describes Peter’s comments about this pagan belief. “And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.” Bribes are an attempt to get someone to do something tey don’t want to or think is wrong. We are not to try to bribe God. Honest people are offended by attempts to bribe them. How offensive is it to God? We can expect results without bribery.

“And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.” (Luke 11:5-8)

Even though friendship is not enough to make the man get out of bed to help his friend, recognizing his need will make him get up and give what is needed. In the story of the unjust judge in Luke 18:1-8, Jesus points out that even a corrupt judge will give in to get a case out of his hair, and God isn’t unjust. He will supply just because it is needed. Philippians 4:19 promises, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Working as a plumber, we used a lot of pipe fittings of different parts. However, if they were delivered to the job too early, many got lost. Consequently, it was better to leave everything that wasn’t needed immediately on the truck and send the helper to get more when we were ready for it. In a similar way, God has what we need available, but seldom delivers it until we are ready for it.

“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.” (Luke 11:9-10)

All we needed to do was ask our helper to get it, and he would do so. However, we needed to ask properly so he knew what we needed. God already knows what we need, but sometimes we ask for the wrong reasons. So often we try to get what we want but as James 4:2-3 says, “…ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

No one was authorized to purchase materials in the company’s name for jobs that the boss had not approved. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are in a similar manner asking this on the basis of his authorization. We had no right to demand materials if we had not been authorized, but if we had, we could expect to receive them. This is what I John 5:14-15 is talking about. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

Finally, we know that God is good. Animals almost always try to protect their offspring, and humans have the same instinct. Only those who are abnormal actively try to harm their children. If God is good, we can expect good from him.

“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?” (Luke 11:11-13)

God has invested a great deal in our lives already. He’s not going to throw that investment away lightly, by refusing to supply what we need to do the job. Romans 8:32 reminds us, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

We can safely trust God to provide what is actually needed. Many times, when I looked at the list of parts from the architectural drawings, I didn’t understand why they sent certain things. The reason became obvious when we reached the place where it was needed. We can trust God’s decisions as to what will be needed when the time comes, even when it is not what we expected. He knows far more about what is needed than we do.