Efficient prayer

Luke 18:11 (ESV)

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

There are three characters in the parable narrated by Jesus in Luke 18 – a poor, justice-pleading widow, an uncaring judge, and an accuser. The helpless widow sought justice. She needed to clear a blame inflicted on her by the accuser. It seemed that she looked to restore that which was taken away from her. But the judge paid no heed to her plea.

There are two unique aspects to this parable:

1. This is the only mention where God compares prayer time to a judicial-court situation.

2. This is the only place where God talks of getting quick answers.

Like the widow, how many times have we prayed passionately and got no answers? In the parable, the widow didn’t give up. Day and night she kept pleading her case for justice against her adversary. The Bible says that though the judge didn’t care about the widow, her relentless behavior gave him quite a haunting headache. Finally, the judge gave in and granted her justice.

Jesus goes on to tell us that if the widow got her speedy response from an earthly judge, how much quicker will Our Heavenly Father answer those who cry out to Him day and night.

In verse 8, Jesus wondered if He’d find this quality of faith when He returns to earth. There are three things to learn from the widow’s ‘never-give-up’ faith: She was consistent before the judge, she was persistent in the presence of her adversary, and she was insistent by nature.

Jesus said this quality of faith in prayer will get us speedy answers.

Dear Lord, today we look to You for speedy answers in Jesus name! Nothing is too hard for You Lord and we declare Your word upon our situation. We thank You for holding our lives in Your hands. We declare You are in control of our world and You are the right Judge over all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Father and child relationship

Luke 11:11-13 (ESV)

11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Is a father-child relationship built on mutual interest? No, that’s between friends. Is a father-child relationship built on commercial value? No! Then, what is this relationship based on? Blood covenant! It is the father’s blood that flows through the veins of his children. They belong to him. When we pray, we enter the throne room of God with boldness by the Blood of Jesus. Nothing can keep us apart.

There are three allegories that Jesus cites:

1. Jesus is the Bread of Life. If we desire Him, He will come to us. With Jesus, we won’t end up with a stone that doesn’t edify or build.

2. God alone is the source of all good things. When we pray to the powers of the world, they swallow our time, good works, and relationships like serpents. Our Heavenly Father is the source of all goodness and when we pray to Him, He will only multiply our fish.

3. He provides without adding any sorrow to it. In the Middle-East, scorpions (white variety ones) can be mistaken for eggs when they cuddle up. They are a good example of baits in the world like drugs, alcohol, etc. that look attractive and promising but once they catch us, they switch. With their tail, they give us a poisonous sting.

Dear Lord, we are thankful that we are Your children and You are the source of all good things in our lives. We are nothing without You. In the Name of Jesus,  Amen.

The 3 P’s

Luke 11:9 (ESV)

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Have you seen people waiting to take their exams? Do they watch TV aimlessly or sit around doing nothing. No! They prepare by studying for their exams. In the same way, studying the Bible takes ‘waiting’ with ‘preparation’, which is the essence of ‘waiting’ in prayer. That’s why the Bible says in Isaiah 40:31 – “They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like the eagles. They shall run and not grow weary.”

Ask, Seek, and Knock are the elements of waiting (preparation) in prayer. These elements position us to handle God’s answers and revelations in wisdom, dignity, and anointing. Whenever we pray, we ought to open our mouths and ask God. We may think - God knows what I’m thinking. While that is true, it is important for us to talk to God so that we can hear from Him too, and thus make it a 2-way conversation.

Jesus teaches us to Ask, Seek, and Knock. They can be called the three Ps - - Pray, Perceive and Possess. Ask is to ‘Pray’, Seek is to ‘Perceive’ and Knock is to ‘Possess’.

Ask (Pray) - Whenever you go to ask God, pray and talk to Him.

Seek (Perceive) - Begin to seek God’s plan over your life. Begin to sense, begin to perceive what God wants you to do.

Knock (Possess) - Knock to possess God’s plan for your life by faith in Jesus name.

Dear Lord, thank You for the privilege to ask, seek and knock on heaven’s door for your Kingdom to be established over our lives. We thank you that you are preparing us to reach our destiny with you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Affectionate Father

Psalm 103:13 (ESV)

As a father shows compassion to his children,

    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

Am I an affectionate father? Like the geyser “Old Faithful,” do I spontaneously spew out love and affection on my children? Am I faithful to fill my son or daughter’s emotional tank with a warm embrace or a kiss on the head? Or am I so caught up in my own career and needs that I have no emotional capacity to give affection? Affection must be displayed.

A father with affection reflects his heavenly Father’s affection for him. It is out of an overflow of being comforted and loved by Christ that redeemed fathers show affection to their children. When the Holy Spirit gives us a warm and secure hug, we can’t help but hug our children and grandchildren. Eternal affection translates into earthly affection.

Perhaps you have a routine of kissing and hugging your children each time you leave home and when you arrive home. There is no rushing out the door until you have made emotional deposits in your most valued relational account. Your child is your lock-box of love, waiting with a tender heart to be touched by their daddy. Initiate hugs and kisses.

When a child’s heart hurts from fear, rejection, or physical harm, move closer with care and compassion. Listen with empathetic ears and outstretched arms. Affectionate fathers are up close and personal, distant fathers are unsympathetic and impersonal. Your seeds of affection reap a harvest of healthy adult children who want to come back home.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20b).

Since He sets His affections on you, you set your affections on Almighty God. A father who is first loved by his heavenly Father has the capacity to love his children appropriately and fully. Adult children who have experienced their father’s affection more easily show affection. So seek affection above and then apply it below.

Dear Lord, help us as fathers to show Your love to those You have given to us. Help us to strive to be the Father You have for us to be. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Conversation between best friends

Luke 11:5-8 (ESV)

5 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, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 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’? 8 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.

Have you seen or heard conversations between best friends? Do they converse in a formal manner or do they use fancy words? Absolutely not! In fact, it seems like both have common interests and passions. God calls us His friends. Find out the heart of God and make it your burden and you will cultivate your friendship with Him.

If we’re friends with God, will we be spared from troubled times? Midnight hour - temptations, storms and discomfort will come. Never lose hope. Run to Jesus because He has life’s answers for you.

What do we learn from Jesus’ parable? Just as the friend in the story kept knocking, we shouldn’t give up but keep praying. Friends don’t give up on each other, do they? Persevere in the assurance of relationship.

Was the friend borrowing for himself? No, he was pleading for another friend. When was the last time you knocked the Gates of Heaven on someone else’s behalf? Have a Spirit to help others, to pray for others, only then can you develop a culture of mutual interest with God.

Dear Lord, thank You for being our friend whom we can approach any day or anytime. We are privileged to have a friend like You who gave up everything for us. We need more of your grace and power to be the hands and feet of You. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus' prayer life

Luke 11:1 (ESV)

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

There are differences in the ways we pray because all of us are raised differently. Thus, our upbringing shapes our prayer style. For example, some religions focus on posture while others concentrate on chants. When we accept Jesus in our lives, we bring with us our old perceptions and mannerisms of speaking to God. We can’t say that any one style is the right way. What would then be the ‘ideal way’ to pray to God? Let’s follow the teachings of Jesus. Let’s neutralize our backgrounds and in its place develop a culture of prayer life based on the Holy Bible.

Luke 11:1 – Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

What can we learn from Jesus’ prayer life?

1. Jesus had a ‘certain’ place and time for prayer – that’s value and discipline for prayer.

2. Jesus started praying and He finished praying which means Jesus prayed with some sense of order and dignity.

3. Notice that Jesus’ disciples came to Him after He ‘ceased’ praying. Why? Because they knew that they could disturb Jesus while He multiplied bread, when He was tired and resting, or when He slept during the storm to wake Him to calm a storm. But the disciples knew that they couldn’t disturb Jesus when He was praying.

Dear Lord, thank You for showing us the right way to pray. We want our prayer life to be taught individually by You because our life cannot be compared with another and because You have a plan for our life. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The Blessing

Luke 24:50-51 (ESV)

50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

What was this blessing that Jesus gave to these disciples as He ascended to heaven? Whatever He said, it caused the disciples to stop and worship Him. Then they returned to Jerusalem with great joy—not just joy, but great joy! How could these disciples, who had been through so much with Him, leave that place full of joy, even after Jesus had vanished to heaven?

The answer is simple: Jesus had all authority, and now it was going to be bestowed on them. In a short time they would engage the most powerful force in the universe—Spirit-empowered prayer. How could they not be filled with unspeakable joy?

Those in the teaching profession recognize that there are many ingredients that make an effective teacher. Nonetheless, no matter how many teaching theories or strategies emerge, the greatest and most effective method that teachers identify is example, example, and example. Jesus’s life was the supreme example of prayer. He began His ministry in prayer at His baptism. He prayed about all things. Now, Jesus was ending His time on the earth in prayer as He ascended to the Father.

Because we have many different gifts and unique parts to play in Christ’s church, we will leave a variety of legacies. However, there is clearly one great legacy open to all of us. I believe it is one to which we all should aspire. Let this be our prayer, Lord: “May the legacy of our lives be answered prayer, as was Yours.”

Dear Lord, we thank You that we can come to You in prayer. Thanks that we are each given unique gifts to use in Your ministry. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.