If you could ask for anything from the Lord….

In Luke 11, the disciples came to the Lord Jesus and asked him to teach them how to pray. Our Lord gives them a timeless model prayer that many over the years have used to address our heavenly Father.

Then the Lord speaks to the issue of persisting in prayer. We are prone to present our requests at the alter and then if nothing happens within our defined time period, we give up, forgetting that we are speaking to the Lord of eternity – it puts patience and persistence in a whole new light. What is a few days, a few weeks, a few months, a few years or even a life time when it comes to us approaching the Lord who is everlasting and forever. (He literally has the time.)

In Luke 11:9-13, we come to the famous Ask, Seek, Knock passage where we are instructed by the Lord to ask for something, seek something and keep on knocking on the door for something. Many jump ahead and start sharing their wish list at this point, especially when we read that if an evil father would not give his son a stone when that son asked for bread… we jump ahead and start asking for that which fills the stomach or any of deep desires. And often readers overlook the end of vs. 13 –
“how much more will your heavenly Father give the HOLY SPIRIT to those who ask Him.” The Lord is so ready to not give us a “thing”, a “prize”, a “toy” or a “only-you can-have-it something” but He is so ready to give us “Someone” who can be shared with this world and is beyond any thought that would ever enter the mind of men. He is wanting to give to us, who ask of Him, who seek from Him and who are willing to knock and not give up knocking… the His Holy Spirit, who fills us and empowers us.

This is so wonderful to know: we can have the Holy Spirit dwell within us. But then I again think, what if I ask this not for me, but for those who I know and love. My wife, daughters, parents, brothers, sisters, extended family, and for friends, students who I teach daily, teachers, church family, pastors, elders, etc. What about if I ran to the Lord as I did for myself to ask for the Holy Spirit, but this time I run to Him for you. What more could the Lord do when His holy bride and children are full and controlled entirely by the Holy Spirit. That is my prayer this new year.

“O Lord, we need your precious, powerful, convicting, always instructing and exhorting Holy Spirit. And You have already promised that He will be given to those who ask. So we ask in Your most holy Name, Jesus. Amen.”