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, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as needeth.
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.
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?
Classification: Prayer and Earnestness in Religious Life
Joseph Smith Translation of verse 13: If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give good gifts, through the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Narrative: A disciple asked Jesus to teach them to pray like John had taught his. He gave the Lord's prayer and then gave them this parable.
Interpretation: Your earthly friends and relatives will make you beg and cry before they get out of bed to help you feed your guests but your Heavenly Father will always be right there for you to give you what you need. You just need to turn to him in prayer.
Application: I've been trying to figure out for several weeks how this applies to me. I did this project originally over six months ago but I've been feeling like I had it all wrong. The things I have been asking for in prayer have felt like they have fallen on deaf ears. I've been feeling like the Lord has been saying, "Go away, I'm tired." I thought, how am I supposed to put this on a blog and pretend to be soooo smart when I'm just not feeling like the Lord is actually listening?
I read what the Bible Dictionary had to say about Prayer: "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7-11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.
We pray in Christ's name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ - when His words abide in us (John 15:7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ's name at all; they in no way represent His mind but spring out of the selfishness of man's heart."
So, I need to reflect on the things I have been praying for: Do they coincide with the will of God? Do they take away someone else's agency? Has He already answered my prayer and I not able to see it?
I can think of many times, I'm sure we all could, when I needed immediate heavenly help and I received it. Hang on to those memories to remember that the Lord is there, that He is mindful of the things you need and desire. Maybe the thing you think you need right now isn't what you need but the Savior knows what you truly need and is waiting for the right time to give it to you.
I especially love the insight that the Joseph Smith translation gives on that last verse. "How much more shall your Heavenly Father give good gifts, through the Holy Spirit to them that ask?" I guess in those moments of discouragement, think of all the spiritual gifts you have been blessed with. Use them to keep you going.
"Obtaining Help from the Lord" by Richard G. Scott
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| The Importunate Neighbor 1895, William Holman Hunt |
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